His Past is Her Future
by NeonDomino
Summary: With the Order dead, Remus sends Hermione back to his teenage years, knowing that the younger him will do everything to keep her safe and stop the war. After all, what Werewolf would allow harm to come to his mate?
1. His Ring

_I've been planning on writing a Hermione/Remus fic for a while now, and the October Event on the Hogwarts forum came up, and I decided to do this pairing._

 _There will be 31 chapters based around different prompts for this challenge._

 _I may continue after the 31 chapters, if I haven't finished the story._

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 _Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event. Prompt One: Scream_

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 **His Past is Her Future**

 **His Ring**

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It was torture, that's what she was hearing. That's why someone was screaming.

It took Hermione a long time to think clearly through the pain, and realise that the screams were coming from her own lips. The feel of the curse on her body again, the knife pressing into her skin, carving and cutting. The cackles of the cruel woman who was taking delight in the blood flowing.

Hermione didn't even register the sound of the door opening, or the familiar voice roaring spells in a manner she had never heard from him before.

A body hit the ground, landing on her legs, causing Hermione to cry out once more. Her throat was raw and she attempted to take some calming breaths.

"Hermione," came a voice that calmed her more than her breathing had. The voice that instantly made her feel safe. Her eyes opened, falling on a man touring over her.

"Remus?" she tried to say, but no sound travelled up her throat. She weakly tried to push herself up into a sitting position, Remus quickly reaching out to help her, whilst sending a locking spell at the door he had come in through.

Hermione couldn't stop the tears that ran down her cheeks, as comforting arms carefully wrapped around her, holding her tightly. She knew what to expect when Bellatrix dragged her from the battle, she had survived through it once after all.

She could survive again.

"There isn't much time," Remus began, pulling a ring from his finger and pushing it onto Hermione's left hand. "This ring will protect you. I've been adding spells to it for years, it will keep you safe."

"Why?" she whispered, not able to force out many words.

"Hermione, do you trust me?" Remus asked.

She nodded without a single doubt.

"There was talk of a mission just before Sirius went through the veil," Remus began, a worried glance towards the door. "Me and Sirius fought against it, saying that you were much too young, we couldn't lay that all on a young girl's shoulders."

He sighed, a blood-stained hand running through his hair, leaving hints of blood there. "When we lost Sirius, I fought against it, wanting to wait until there was no choice left at all. But I need you to know, there is always a choice. It's up to you, Hermione. If you choose not to do this, I'll find a way to keep you safe."

"What is it?" she pushed.

"This ring will take you somewhere. When you get there, the ring... as it's mine, it will be recognised. The people that you find there, they will take you in and protect you." He reached into his robes, pulling out a pouch and thrusting it into her hands. He placed his wand on the pouch first, and then the ring, Latin passing his lips, before meeting her gaze. "What I am planning wasn't part of the original plan, it was something me and Sirius decided would be safer for you. There is no Order left to discuss this, only me and you."

His finger ran over the ring on her hand.

"The ring is bound to you, proving that it was willingly given to you. The pouch will only open to your touch. Are you with me so far?"

She weakly nodded.

"There is a way to beat him," Remus continued. "You can stay here if you truly don't want to go, and I will take you and run. I will protect you with my life, though I fear we won't last very long - or you can go now with this ring."

"And you?" Hermione whispered.

"I promise that you'll see me shortly after," Remus replied, a sad smile on his lips. His eyes widened as he looked back at the door. "Hermione, I need to know now what you're going to do." His wand was poised, ready for a fight.

"I'll do the mission, anything to defeat him," Hermione mumbled, pulling herself shakily to her feet, wobbling where she stood, and falling into Remus' arms.

He steadied her, his gaze darting between her and the door, listening carefully. He drew his full attention to her for a moment, his gaze drifting across her face. "Forgive me, I need this, just once," he whispered. Remus dipped his head, letting his lips brush against Hermione's own, before pulling away. His amber eyes met hers. "The password is your full name. When you land, stay where you are and wait for me. I'm sorry to be vague, but you'll have to work everything else out for yourself."

"I will," Hermione whispered, her head spinning from the touch of Remus' lips.

Remus nodded, and he quickly spun around, his wand out. The door burst open, and lights began to fill the room. Hermione fumbled for her wand.

"Go," he ordered. "Hermione, just go!" His body was close to hers, shielding her as he threw curses. A thud, and Hermione peeked out, seeing one of the Death Eaters laying across the floor, face-down.

"Hermione Jean..." her breath caught as Remus hit the ground, and her eyes moved to the Wizard who had taken him down.

"Looks like Dolohov found himself a little prize," the man said with a smirk. His wand pointed in her direction.

She unfroze. "Hermione Jean Grang...er," she said, gasping in pain as a slicing hex hit her straight in the chest. She fell to the ground just as everything began to spin.

Everything went dark, and Hermione wondered if she had unconscious and lost in her thoughts, or if she was on her way to wherever Remus was sending her.

She wondered where she would end up, before she gave in to the darkness.

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	2. Her Scent

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event. Prompt two: (emotion) Panic_

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 **His Past is Her Future**

 **Her Scent**

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Hermione hit the ground hard, finding herself on the brink of conciousness. Her body wasn't responding as she tried to move.

She was burning as though a fire was consuming her. The fire began to go out and she realised that her life was burning out with it.

Just as she felt the last spark of life try to fade, something filled her like a blinding light. It was more intense than Hermione could ever imagine. She tried to evaluate what was happening, but struggled to think straight. All she knew was that this blinding light was keeping that spark of life burning, and that was enough.

She could taste the familiar scent, knowing that Remus had arrived. She knew without a doubt that he was the cause of the light.

He hadn't died after all!

Suddenly, she was in his arms, burrowing against his chest, seeking the warmth and calm and comfort that she always felt around him. Her fingers curled into his clothes.

The darkness surrounded her again - this time she didn't fight it - knowing that it was futile. She knew that Remus would never let anything happen to her.

...oOo...

The Sunday had started out the same as usual for Remus. He had gone to church with his mother like every other Sunday. He had pretended not to hear her whisper prayers to God, which always contained his name, as though the Lord himself would appear and somehow cure Remus' lycanthropy.

Remus didn't pray. He decided that if there was a God, than God wasn't a fan of Remus John Lupin. Remus didn't see a point to get on his knees each Sunday and praying to someone who had failed so far in protecting him.

"Are you going for your walk?" Hope Lupin asked, as they neared the cottage.

Remus nodded his head, deep in thought.

"Dinner will be about an hour and a half. I'll get your dad to send word." She walked into the cottage as Remus headed around the back, towards the fields.

Remus took his time through the untamed grass and wild flowers, enjoying the nature. He hated to admit it, but the smell of nature tended to keep the wolf calm. He followed the same trail as he did every single Sunday - even in the cold (as his father would embed his clothes with warming charms), feeling more relaxed than he did at home.

He loved his parents, but he loved his Sunday freedom too. His parents were overprotective, always coming to check up on him. Remus liked having an hour where he had no interruptions. An hour where he could just be alone to read or do nothing.

He walked through a grove of trees, and listened to the sound of the nearby stream. The path twisted and turned as it headed down, and Remus had a clear view of his private spot. The grass looked warm and inviting where the sun was shining on it.

He followed the path, the inviting spot leaving his view for a moment. Suddenly he smelt something mingle with the clean and pure air.

A smell that was much more inviting than anything he had ever encountered, and it was coming from the direction he was heading. Remus started on again, walking faster than before, the smell pulling him. Remus was eager to find where the smell of chocolate and caramel was radiating from.

It was the same second his eyes fell on the bank again, that he realised the wonderful scent that was pulling him closer, was now was mingled with the coppery scent of blood.

Panic washed over him and without a thought, Remus was running towards the figure laying in his private spot. He took in bushy brown hair which was caked with blood, before his gaze moved to her clothes. Blood was seeping through the girl's t-shirt, and her skin was deadly pale. For a moment, Remus thought he was looking at a dead body, and fumbled for a pulse whilst drawing his wand.

Only one spell came to mind to save her - he didn't have the right potions after all and he was panicking. He had learned the spell after the first time his friends had joined him in the shack, in case he ever hurt them. The spell was designed for life-and-death situations where one person was on the brink of death.

By casting the spell, Remus was giving a bit of his life-force and energy to keep the girl in a magical-stasis. It would keep her in the exact condition she was in.

It would stop her slipping away into death. Remus cast it without hesitation.

The spell drained his body quickly, and Remus dropped to his knees, needing a moment to steady himself. He looked at her clothes, noticing that the bleeding had halted. Remus slid his arms under the girl's legs and her back, pulling her up into his arms as carefully as he possibly could.

He didn't know the extent of her injuries, but he knew without a doubt that the girl was a lot lighter than he had expected. His panic began to rise at the thought of the girl possibly being half-starved.

The girl seemed to press into him, her fingers very lightly curling into his shirt. He had the urge to reach out and brush the hair from her face, but he had no free hand. Instead he pulled her tighter into him and turned, trying to rush back towards the cottage.

Remus felt overwhelmed by all the emotions running through him. He was confused by the scent of the girl and he was panicking that the spell would wear off due to his lycanthropy, resulting in her death.

He barely registered as they rushed through the last field and towards the opening door where his mother stood. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that it was the wolf that was guiding him home.

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	3. His Worry

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt three: (feeling) Terrified_

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 **His Past is Her Future**

 **His Worry**

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Remus rushed towards the cottage, driven by an unknown force. He had a feeling, had he not been holding this girl, his legs would have given out already.

"John!" Hope shouted. She had seen her son rushing back. "Come quickly!"

"I found her," Remus said, pausing in the doorway, his legs shaking slightly. "She's almost dead. We need to heal her!"

He rushed to his room and put her carefully onto his bed. His parents following.

His father looked at her for a second. "Hope, can you get the kit?"

He hovered as his father rolled her t-shirt up, examining the wound.

"She's not bleeding? What magic did you use?"

"Stasis charm," Remus replied, his eyes lingering on the blood.

"Which stasis charm?" John asked.

"One that allows me to share my life and energy with her to keep her alive. My friends... well, they know the spell too. I don't know where she came from -"

"Maybe it would be best to take her to St -" Hope interrupted.

"No. You have to help her," Remus demanded. The thought of her leaving was unbearable. He needed to see that she was alright, and he could only trust his parents to heal her.

John glanced at him. "I'll do my best, but if I can't heal her, I'm taking her to St. Mungo's," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. He attention turned back to the injured girl.

Hope smiled softly at her son. "Remus, why don't you go and take a shower, and then turn the oven on?"

Remus glanced down at his clothes which were stained with her blood, and began to panic again.

"Remus, the more in control you stay right now, the longer the stasis spell will last, do you understand that?" John said.

Remus forced himself to take a couple of deep breaths, before nodding his head. He grabbed his pyjamas from over the back of the desk chair, and left the room.

...oOo...

Remus took the quickest shower he could, making sure that not one drop of her blood remained on him. He threw the blood-stained shirt and his trousers into the washing basket and pulled on his pyjamas.

He walked to the bedroom and knocked on the door. "How is she?" he asked, pushing the door open. He tried to look around his mother, but she blocked his view and frowned at him.

"Remus, we've undressed her so we can see and treat her injuries, you can't be in here now," she scolded him. "Don't come back in until we're finished. Have you turned the oven on yet?"

Remus shook his head, and his mother pushed him out of the room. He wasn't trying to get a peek, he just wanted to make sure she was alright. He headed to the kitchen, turning the oven on, before dropping down on the carpet outside of his bedroom.

Seventy-four seconds later, Remus was on his feet. He knocked on the door again, but didn't try and open it. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," both of his parents replied together.

Feeling quite out of sorts and dejected, Remus contemplated writing about the development to Sirius or James (as Peter was away, visiting his muggle grandmother who was terrified of birds). He headed to the desk in the corner of the living room.

He quickly scribbled a message about finding an unconscious girl by the stream, and she was recovering in his bed from her injuries. He was vague, as he was desperate to get back to her.

The owl was sent to the Potter residence where the two boys were, and Remus sat down outside of his bedroom. He couldn't work out why he couldn't just sit down in the living room and wait - but summed it up to have something to do with the spell he had cast?

"Remus, could you sort out the box room for us?" Hope asked, pulling the door open. "Just start tidying it so we have somewhere to move her."

Remus stared at the blood that was now staining his mother's shirt. Her sleeves were drenched with water, and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. "How is she?" he asked, ignoring his mother's request.

"Your father has almost finished with the deep gash on her chest. That's the most life-threatening injury. Once that's taken care of, he's confident that he can stabilize her."

Remus wasn't convinced by her words. He needed them to be sure that they could help her. Plus, they couldn't move her. He decided that he would let her take his room and stay in the box-room himself.

He turned towards the small room and opened the door and began to clean up.

...oOo...

Remus knocked on the door constantly, unable to stay away from her for too long. When he wasn't knocking, he was pacing the hallway, waiting for news - the box-room forgotten after fifteen minutes of working on it.

A tapping drew him to the door, until he saw an owl at the window. He let out a sigh as he headed over, untying the letter and letting the owl fly to it's perch in the corner of the living room.

He opened the letter.

 _'Moony, it's about time you had a girl in your bed!_

 _It's a shame that the only way you can get her there is when she's injured. Well, it's a start. Next time we'll get you a conscious one!'_

 _Sirius._

 _P.S - Is she hot?'_

Remus frowned, dropping the parchment straight into the bin. Of course his friends focused on that part - at least he hadn't mentioned her enticing smell; he would never have heard the end of it.

He returned to the bedroom, sat down facing the door and waited, terrified that his parents wouldn't be able to save her.

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 **Review Please :)**

 **Thanks to Lynn for looking this over for me.**

 **Word count per chapter is max 1000 words, so I've had to cut quite a bit from this chapter. Once I reach chapter 31 and finish the challenge, the word count will increase.**

 **In case anyone is a bit confused - Remus is protective over Hermione because she's his mate. He doesn't realise this though - he thinks it's because of the stasis spell.**


	4. Her Pain

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt three: (word)_ _bloodcurdling_

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 **His Past is Her Future**

 **Her Pain**

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Hermione woke up, her body burning in agony. The room was pitch-black around her, and completely unfamiliar.

She was terrified.

Silent screams shook her body before she realised they weren't as silent as she thought. A door banged against the frame, the sound vibrating through her, making her want to curl into herself, though she seemed to have no control over her body.

Something cold pressed against her forehead, comforting words murmured at her, and a potion against her lips. Unable to fight, she accepted the potion, hoping it would help.

Panic took over, making the pain seem worse. Her eyes closed, and she pictures each and every one of her friends falling to the dark, the vision of her parents, dead on the living room floor. Remus dropping to the ground moments before she got away.

She wondered if the Death-Eaters had gotten to her after all.

That was until a hand gently took hers, sending small waves of calmness and serenity through her body. She gripped it tightly, not wanting to let go. She could feel the magical aura of the stranger and realised it was the same magic that had flowed through her body, keeping her alive.

The magic that was still in her body, the spell still holding firmly.

Her body was shaking hard. The first time she had suffered at Bellatrix's hands, Bill Weasley had used a complicated series of spells to counter the damage done by the Cruciatus curse. But the most recent exposure told her that those walls Bill had put up, had broken down. Not only was she feeling the effects of the last curse, but she was feeling the previous curse too. She suspected that the person who was treating her, didn't know how to layer the spells as Bill had done.

She knew she was in for a long and painful recovery, but a voice in the back of her head reminded her that she was lucky to be alive.

Healing spells washed over her, but she focused on the hand that was giving her comfort and tried to push aside the agony. Her grip tightened, and her teeth clenched together painfully as she tried not to scream once more.

"You need to calm down." The words were just a whisper, but at the sound of them, Hermione felt her body begin to obey. The pain didn't go, but Hermione was able to think beyond the pain. She was able to breath again, and she made the most of it, sucking in deep, greedy breaths.

"That's better. Don't worry, we're going to look after you and make sure you recover," the voice said, calming her further. She took another breath, taking in a familiar scent.

Remus.

She could almost taste his scent around her. How could she not have realised it before? He was there with her. He would keep her safe.

...oOo...

Remus was woken from a light sleep by the sound of a bloodcurdling scream. He almost fell off the sofa in his haste to get up. He threw the bedroom door open, ignoring it bang against the frame, his eyes on the girl who looked possessed.

She was screaming, the top half of her body raising off the bed, and shaking hard. Tears were streaming down her face.

His father ran in behind him, knocking him out of the way, his mother following. She set a hand on the girl's shoulder, pushing her down onto the bed whilst a cold cloth was placed on her forehead. John poured a pain potion down her throat.

"Why is she...?" Remus asked.

"The after-effects of prolonged or multiple exposure to the Cruciatus curse," John stated as Hope tried her best to calm her. "We need to get her to calm down. I don't want to use a calming charm or potion if we don't have to. I doubt her body can't handle too many potions."

Remus moved over to her side, reaching for her hand, uncertain what else to do. The hold seemed to have an effect, but not nearly enough. "You need to calm down," he whispered, leaning in close to her.

What his hold didn't do, his voice did. The girl began to take deep breaths and started to gain control of herself again.

"You have the magic touch," Hope whispered, smiling at her son.

Remus stared at the girl - his first proper look at her, as his parents had forbade him from going back into the room before, saying the girl needed to be alone to recover. He struggled to turn his gaze away.

"That's better. Don't worry, we're going to look after you and make sure you recover," he promised, leaning closer again. His words seemed to have a good result. The shaking subsided even more, as though she was responding to his words.

His eyes fell on her lips as they parted, as though she was going to speak. The screams seemed to have stolen her voice, as no sound came from her lips. She continued to hold his hand, until she drifted off back to sleep, by way of a sleep-potion his father had given her.

Remus gently and hesitantly placed her hand onto the bed, and adjusted her covers around her. He watched her for a few seconds, until he heard his father whisper his name. He turned and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar so he would be able to hear if she stirred.

His parents headed back to their bed and Remus climbed back under the covers on the sofa. He lay awake for a long time, listening in case he was needed again.

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 **Don't worry, she'll wake up soon.**


	5. His Mother

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt four: Vampire_

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 **His Past is Her Future**

 **His Mother**

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Hermione woke up in pain, but was able to control herself. She opened her eyes, wincing at the bright room, taking a few seconds for her eyes to adjust before glancing around.

The door opened and a cheerful looking woman walked into the room, she looked surprised to see Hermione awake.

"What..." Hermione croaked out, wanting to know what happened.

"You've been hurt, dear," the woman said, cutting her off. "I've just in here to clean and dress your wound." She put her arm behind Hermione, helping her lean forward, before unwinding the bandages around Hermione's body. "I didn't expect you to wake for a while."

Hermione stayed silent, wondering what the extent of her injuries were. Her throat felt like she had swallowed sandpaper, and her head was pounding, but there were various spots of her body that were causing pain.

Mostly her chest; that and the heavy pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse.

"I need to clean this wound," the woman said, seconds before a cloth began to carefully press against her chest. Hermione clenched her teeth together in pain and let out a hiss. She watched the woman pick up some Essence of Dittany, carefully applying it, and then more bandages were wrapped around her.

Hermione lay back again. She took a deep breath, allowing the scent in the room to keep her calm and relax her. "I'm alive," she murmured to herself, relieved.

"You have my son to thank for that," the woman replied, smiling at her. "You're lucky that he found you when he did. Even luckier that he knew the stasis spell. That kept you alive long enough for him to get you back to our cottage. Me and my husband have been healing you for the last few days. I must admit, at first, we thought you weren't going to make it. We've seen vampires that had more life in them than you did!"

Maybe these were the people Remus was talking about? The ones that could help her.

"My friend, he sent me - is he here?"

There was a hesitation. "I'm sorry," the woman finally said. "But you were alone, and the only people here are me, my husband, John, and my son who has come home from school for the Summer."

"Oh," she whispered, deciding that she must have somehow imagined Remus' presence. She was sure that he had been there. "I thought he survived."

The woman drew a sharp breath. "Survived?" she echoed. "You weren't the only one hurt?"

Hermione shook her head. "He was hit with a spell before I used his enchantments to escape, I thought I sensed him..." she trailed off awkwardly, her gaze falling on the bed as she tried to hold back the tears that were prickling in her eyes.

"My dear, right now you just focus on getting yourself better, than we'll see what we can do about finding your friend."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered.

"I have to tell you that not everything is healing as we hoped. This deep tear across your chest was dark magic and may scar. There are other cuts, and your arm... those words..."

"Were done months ago, and will never heal," Hermione whispered. "I know, I've tried!"

The woman looked shocked at the news. "Well, hopefully this is the end of whatever danger you were in before," she replied. "Whatever happened is something a young girl like you should never have gone though. I don't understand this world sometimes - the young ones are always the ones to suffer the most!"

Hermione had a feeling that this woman wasn't just talking about her, but didn't question who she had on her mind when saying those words.

The woman smiled tiredly, eyes flecked with amber fixed on her. "You must still be in a lot of pain, I'll send my husband up to do some spells, whilst I finish fixing lunch. It'll need to be something small, as you've clearly been starved for a while. We'll have to work you up to proper meals. Do you like leek and potato soup?"

Hermione would have been happy with anything, and the thought of hot delicious soup sounded divine to her. "It sounds amazing," she whispered, her eyes closing again. Hope headed out of the door.

"Thank you," Hermione said, before the woman was out of earshot.

...oOo...

"She's awake," Hope said, walking into the kitchen where Remus was stirring the home-made soup. "It turns out that some of the wounds such as her arm and hip aren't as recent as we thought. How does a young girl get hurt like that?"

"Dark magic leaves scars," Remus muttered under his breath. Suddenly his head snapped up. "What happened to her arm and hip?" he demanded.

"It's not our place to say," Hope replied. She turned to her husband. "I think she needs medical attention before lunch. She was in quite a bit of pain, the poor girl!"

John nodded, and drank down his cup of tea before standing and heading out of the room.

Hope checked the soup, before requesting Remus serve it up. She left the room and Remus got out some bowls and began pouring it out and pulling the hot rolls from the oven, cutting them open and smearing butter inside.

He placed his mother's and father's bowls on the table, half of the rolls on a plate between them, and put his own on the tray with the house-guest's.

He poured the leftover soup into a large container, leaving it on the side, and sat down at the table to wait for his parents to come down.

He hoped the girl wouldn't mind him sitting with her for lunch, maybe he could use the time to find out who she was and how she had gotten so hurt.

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 **Review Please :)**

 **I just want to say thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed or followed this fic. I'm glad you're all enjoying it :D**


	6. Her Surprise

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt five: Cauldron_

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 _Okay - so I've been thinking a lot about how Remus would be in his last year at Hogwarts._

 _He's spent 7 years with friends who are accepting of his condition and even became Animagus for him. He's getting excellent results in his exams and he's a Marauder._ _So even though he'd never stop being awkward and adorable... I think he'd have some confidence at this point. (Maybe a little bit)._

 _Who can really hang out with James Potter and Sirius Black without some of their confidence rubbing off?_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **Her Surprise**

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Hermione glanced around the room. Two overflowing bookcases sat against one wall, with a desk against the other. Textbooks were stacked on the desk, along with a mess of various items including parchment, ink and a quill. A chest of drawers and wardrobe were against the third wall, and a potions set and cauldron sat atop the drawers alongside a record player.

Hermione stared at it for a long moment; the record player had thrown her completely. Even in the wizarding world, record players were not used anymore.

"He's home from school for the holidays?" Hermione murmured to herself. Students weren't just going about their everyday lives. They were either on the run, in hiding, or prisoners.

What was going on?

The door creaked open and Hermione watched, not quite certain what to expect. Her gaze fell on dark-blonde hair, amber eyes and a shy smile of a teenager around her age, who had yet to meet her gaze.

"Hi," he began. "I've brought you up lunch."

Hermione could only stare. There was no doubt in her mind who the teenager in front of her was. Her eyes followed him as he walked around the bed to the desk, pushing items on his desk aside with the corner of the tray. "Sorry about the mess," he said. "I'm not usually so disorganised."

He took one of the bowls of soup, setting it aside with a couple of the rolls. He picked the tray up again.

Her gaze dropped to the bed as he turned around.

"You don't mind me keeping you company for lunch? I figured you might be bored and want some company... unless you'd rather not?" he sounded uncertain at her silence.

"It's... it's fine," she whispered, her gaze still on the bedspread. She saw him approach from the corner of her eye and felt him carefully place the tray in her lap. Only then did her gaze move upwards.

Their eyes met, and the pair froze, staring at each other, mostly in confusion. Hermione was the first one to look away, unnerved at the reaction her entire being had as she looked into his eyes.

Remus turned back towards the desk to hide the blush on his cheeks, wondering what in the world was going on with him.

"So... I have you to thank?" Hermione said, breaking the awkward silence that had settled in the room.

Remus pulled out the desk chair and turned it at an angle, so he could eat without turning away properly.

"It was nothing."

She smiled at those words. It was so like Remus to act like he hadn't done much. "You can say it was nothing, but I could feel myself dying. I have no doubts that I was seconds away from death, and it's clear that at least one of my injuries was life-threatening. I'm curious how you managed it - you must have excellent knowledge of healing spells, as I've never come across a spell like that!"

"It's a stasis charm," Remus offered. "It transfers part of my life-force and energy to you for a short time."

"I've never known a stasis charm to do that. I've read about the weaker ones, but none about sharing life and energy or sharing magic."

"Magic?" he repeated, confused.

"Yes. You used magic to cast the stasis spell, and I can feel your magic still in my body. You've not ended the spell yet."

"I thought... it was supposed to wear out on it's own," Remus replied curiously. "Maybe that's why you reacted to me when you woke up last?" he took in her questioning look. "You calmed down for me when I held your hand," he explained.

"Maybe," Hermione repeated. Her gaze moved down to the hot soup and she took a deep breath, savouring the delicious smell. "This smells wonderful," she said, changing the subject.

"It's home-made," Remus offered. "So, can I ask what your name is?"

"I'm Hermione," Hermione said softly, already wondering the implications of revealing her surname to a teenage Remus Lupin. She decided to hold off the panic until she was alone.

"Hermione," he murmured in a soft voice. His amber eyes flashed to her. "O my most sacred lady! Temptations have since then been born to's; for In those unfledged days was my wife a girl; your precious self had then not cross'd the eyes of my young play-fellow."

She let out a slight chuckle. "Grace to boot! Of this make no conclusion, lest you say your queen and I are devils: yet go on; The offences we have made you do we'll answer, If you first sinn'd with us and that with us you did continue fault and that you slipp'd not with any but with us."

"Hermione, I want you to promise me something," Remus said, leaning closer.

She nodded, her eyes widening.

"If you ever meet my friends, please don't tell them that I quoted Shakespeare. They'll never let me live it down. I'd die of embarrassment."

Hermione tried to look serious for a moment. "It wouldn't do for you to die just after saving my life," she replied. "So, what about you? Will I be quoting Shakespeare when I hear your name?"

"If you feel inspired to do so," Remus replied with a grin. "I'm Remus."

Hermione bit her lip. "When it comes to Shakespeare, I've got nothing, I'm afraid. Please tell me you don't have a twin brother called Romulus?"

He chuckled. "No brother I'm afraid, and here I was looking forward to being enamoured by your beautiful voice... I mean, words," Remus said, blushing again.

Hermione couldn't help blushing too. The older Remus had never indicated he saw her as anything more than a child... until the one kiss. This Remus however thought she had a beautiful voice.

She reached for one of the warm rolls, dipping it into the soup and bringing it to her lips.

It was as delicious as it smelt.

Hermione had a feeling she was going to enjoy herself in this era.

* * *

 **Review Please :)**

Two Shakespeare quotes from A Winter's Tale featured in this chapter. :)

Thanks to Lynn for betaing. :)


	7. His Insistence

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt used: Haunted_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **His Insistence**

* * *

The food disappeared too quickly for Hermione's liking. It had only seemed like minutes since Remus had even walked into the room, even though they had been sitting there for over half an hour.

She couldn't ask him to stay there with her for longer - she was already imposing enough, after all, she was recovering in his bed.

The thought warmed her cheeks. She was laying in Remus Lupin's bed!

Remus took the tray from her, setting it on the desk. "Is there anything you need? Something to read, maybe?"

Hermione nodded, watching Remus seemingly grab books at random from the bookcase and from his stack of textbooks. He set them down on the side table. "Is there anything else? Anybody you want me to contact to tell them that you're safe?"

Hermione's smile dropped. Harry didn't exist, she couldn't return to her parents in this time. She had no school to go to. She had no-one.

She didn't even realise that tears were streaming down her face until she was in Remus' comforting arms. "They're all gone or dead," she admitted softly. "I have no-one left, no-where to go."

Before she could even scold herself for the moment of weakness, Remus held her tighter, though it was clear he was trying to be mindful of her injuries. "Well, it might not be much, but you have us now. Did you really think that we were going to heal you and then just turn you out onto the street?" he murmured.

"Thank you so much, Remus," she said.

"As for nowhere to go - how old are you?"

"I was supposed to be in my last year..." Hermione whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Here," he said, pulling back and pulling open the bedside drawer. He pulled out a packet of tissues, offering her one.

"You're sweet," Hermione murmured. taking it and wiping her eyes.

"Yeah? Well, I don't like seeing beaut... nice girls like you crying," Remus said. "Or any girls for that matter."

Hermione smiled through her tears, willing them to go away. After all, she could cry for everything that had happened, and mourn when she was alone.

Plus - had Remus almost called her beautiful?

...oOo...

Remus quickly washed up in the kitchen before heading into the living room.

Hermione had looked tired, so Remus had left her with the stack of his favourite books, hoping he had picked at least one book Hermione would have liked to read.

"Did she say much?" Hope asked as her son walked in. "Is she okay?"

"Her name's Hermione," Remus offered, sitting down on the sofa. "She likes reading Shakespeare and everyone she knows is either dead or gone. She's the same age as me too. She's terrified, I can sme- sense it."

"She said she was sent here," Hope said. "Maybe her home was attacked and she was port-keyed here?"

"She doesn't go to Hogwarts and hasn't got an accent," Remus told them. "But she's certain she hasn't got anywhere to go, or anyone to take her in. We're not going to just turn her away, right?"

Hope and Remus looked at John, who had been listening to the conversation.

"Remus, of course I'd hate to do that, but we just can't afford... I don't think we have the money to raise someone else."

"She's my age, so maybe she could go to Hogwarts?" Remus insisted. "I have a bit of money that I can use to help..."

John raised his eyebrows at his son.

"And of course I have some clothing you can transfigure to fit her," Hope added. "It might not be perfect, but I'm sure she'd like to have proper clothing rather than boy's pyjamas."

Remus silently disagreed. He thought Hermione looked perfect in his bed-wear.

"John, let's talk to the Headmaster," Hope suggested. "We all know that no matter what is said in here, there is no chance we're going to turn a young girl away, especially considering the fact that she was almost dead, and that she has no-one. Maybe he can suggest something? I mean, there are places to get second-hand uniforms. I still have Remus' old shirts, we can transfigure them for her. I'm sure she'll not mind second-hand books... or you can double Remus' books, or one of his little friend's books?"

Remus stayed silent, not wanting to point out that his friends were seventeen and classed as men. After all, his mother was on his side. She could call his friends 'little babies' for all he cared right now.

As long as it got his dad to agree.

John sighed, knowing his wife was right on the matter. They had been saving up for a trip to Rome, knowing there was an research facility that specialised in Lycanthropy. Maybe that trip could be set back a little bit?

"Okay, she can stay," he said. "Maybe the Headmaster can see if she has any family left, in the meantime, Remus, you need to get that box-room cleared out. You can't spend the rest of the summer on the sofa."

Remus smiled happily in reply. "Thanks," he said, getting up from the sofa.

"I didn't mean now," John told his wife as Remus left the room.

"Oh leave him," Hope said, smiling. "He's clearly fond of the girl... Hermione. It's nice that he's not moping around the house as he usually is."

John nodded his head, agreeing with her.

...oOo...

Remus started cleaning up, wanting to get it done before his father could even consider changing his mind.

After all, he had told Hermione that she had him now; Remus wasn't going to go back on his word to her.

He wanted to make the room nice for her, show her that she had somewhere. It may not make up for losing whoever she had, but maybe it could keep that heart-stopping haunted look from appearing in her eyes again.

He'd find a way to keep that at bay.

* * *

 **Review Please :)**


	8. Her Meeting

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt used: Marshmallow_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **Her Meeting**

* * *

It was dark out, and Hermione watched Remus close the bedroom door as he left. He had come in a few minutes before, just to say goodnight to her and to check if Hermione needed anything.

Hermione had needed her belongings. She had felt strange without having her wand closeby. Remus had picked them up from the top of the chest of drawers, after making her promise she wasn't going to sneak off with them in the middle of the night.

Hermione had promised him that. She had no intention of leaving - she planned to integrate herself into the lives of the Marauders - something she would manage that once she had met with Albus Dumbledore the next day, though she wondered what she would tell him.

After all, she had already messed with time and planned to do more of it.

Her wand had been slipped under her pillow, and Hermione had thanked him, assured him that she was fine, and wished him goodnight.

...oOo...

Hermione already knew the contents of the beaded bag, so she set that on the bedside table and reached for the pouch Remus had given. She carefully opened it, not knowing what to expect.

She looked in, her eyes falling on envelopes at the very top. She realised that they were a good place to start. She quickly withdrew them, setting the pouch aside.

The first letter was addressed to Albus Dumbledore. Hermione was certain that the writing on the front was that of the wizard himself. She was relieved that he had made the choice for himself as to how much information would be revealed to him. She set that with the pouch, before looking at the other.

She reached out for it, noticing that it had Remus' handwriting on it, and opened it.

...oOo...

Hermione sat facing her former Professor, wondering what to say to him. They had greeted each other and there had been a minute of polite conversation before she had handed over the letter.

But since reading it, the headmaster had seemed deep in thought.

She waited patiently, knowing he was processing whatever he had been told.

"Miss Granger," he finally said, his gaze moving up to hers. "I believe you'll be receiving your owl very soon. As for the letter... well, I clearly have placed a lot of trust in you. Though I do not understand why you are in the wrong year -"

"A friend decided that I would have been of better use in this time," Hermione replied.

Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Perhaps your friend is right. Sometimes the leaders don't see these things as clearly. What brought you to the Lupin's home?"

"My friend thought it was best to send me somewhere he thought I was safe," Hermione replied.

"A wise choice," the headmaster commented. "My future self seemed it wise not to over-share in this matter, but I have an understanding of events." He frowned. "Does the war last for so long?"

"No," Hermione replied. "The war will end in a few years, but it will come back worse than before. My knowledge can hopefully prevent that."

"Then I look forward to our meetings when you arrive at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, standing up. "We have much more to discuss, but there is nothing that can be done right now, so I will leave you to recover."

"Sir, I know that you will be talking to the current Order, but I'd like it if people didn't know where I came from," Hermione said.

"That's a wise decision," Dumbledore told her. "The power of knowledge of the future... we must keep that between us."

...oOo...

The Headmaster left the room to head to the floo, and a minute later, Remus came into the room with two steaming mugs. He passed one to Hermione, who sipped the hot, melted chocolate.

"This is lovely," she said, watching him drop a bag of something onto the sofa between them. "At home, we always used the powder stuff for hot-chocolate."

"Powdered stuff?" Remus repeated, completely disgusted at the notion. "No, that's not right at all. How can you have hot-chocolate unless it's pure chocolate?"

"Good point," Hermione said, breathing in the delicious smell.

Remus picked up the bag and ripped it open. "Don't drink it yet, I haven't put the marshmallows in," he said scooping up some of the mini-marshmallows and dropping a few into each cup. "There, that's better."

"Thank you," Hermione said.

"So... how did it go?" Remus asked, catching her gaze with wide amber eyes, and taking a sip of the burning hot chocolate, before licking his lips clean.

Hermione set her mug down, managing not to wince as she leant forward to the table.

"My owl will arrive any day," Hermione replied, grinning widely. "I'm going to Hogwarts."

"Brilliant!" Remus exclaimed, looking as though he was going to hug her for a moment. "I wonder what house you'll be in?"

"What house are you in?" Hermione asked.

"I'm a Gryffindor," Remus stated proudly. "So are my friends."

"So, tell me what it's like to be a Gryffindor at Hogwarts," Hermione requested, sitting back on the sofa as Remus got an eager look in his eyes at the question.

* * *

 **Review Please :)**

 **I'm going to be posting Remus' letter as a separate chapter, it'll be up in a bit. Don't skip out on the review though ;)**


	9. His Letter

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt used: Macabre_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **His Letter**

* * *

 _Hermione,_

 _If you're reading this, than me and Sirius have gone with our last plan - sending you into the past. The change of the plan was all down to me and Sirius, knowing we were giving you more of a chance this way._

 _The Order had never truly settled or agreed on when to send you back. The last agreement before I took matters into my own hands was you being sent back to two years before your first year at Hogwarts, so you could inform Dumbledore of the Horcruxes and of Peter's location. That would have given Harry a chance to live peacefully without the threat of Voldemort; also allowing Sirius' freedom and Harry to be taken in by him._

 _Maybe it was selfish of us, but we knew that you'd change more and you'd have more help if you were to go back even further._

 _Rather than Harry spending up until he's nine with the Dursleys, he could possibly have James and Lily to raise him. Sirius can survive Azkaban. So much change can happen. So many people made happy._

 _Knowing my younger self as well as I do, I would feel the need to help you when I found you, and I hope that you weren't badly hurt when you arrived. I'm sorry that you didn't know where you would end up - I felt that was best left unsaid._

 _As for the ring you are wearing - it's a Lupin family ring. It's not a heirloom. My father gave it to my mother, embedding it with protection spells as she's a muggle and unable to defend herself magically. The ring was given to me a few years ago when I knew there was a large chance that I would need to give it to you._

 _It will activate for you from the moment you say your full name, though if you are reading this letter, you'll have already used those words. Hopefully you were sent away before the warzone became just one big macabre sight._

 _The ring is undetectable, unless you choose for the charm to be taken off. It saves awkward questions - however, if you don't get the help from my family that you need, you only need to show that ring._

 _I've supplied things I believe could come in useful. A few potions, some ingredients. Some gold - it's not like I'm going to be using it myself after all. There are some books from our time as a lot of important information wasn't available in mine._

 _I have every faith in you in making a change, but remember - you aren't alone to fight this war. We haven't sent you back to do this by yourself._

 _You'll have me and my friends. You'll have the Order when Hogwarts is over. Please make the changes you need, but also try and live your life._

 _Even if it's so far in the past._

 _Remus._

* * *

 **Review Please :)**


	10. Her Amusement

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt used: Creepy_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **Her Amusement**

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke up to knocking on the door. Keeping the cover wrapped tightly around her, she called for Remus to come in.

He walked in, freezing at the sight of her huddled under the cover. "Are you alright?" he asked, rushing to her side. "Feeling worse? Do you need a pain potion?"

Hermione shook her head. "I can wait," she mumbled. "Just too comfortable."

Remus grinned. "Yeah, I agree with you there," he said, perching on the end of the bed. "Should I come back in later?"

"Actually, since I was able to get up and about yesterday, I'd really like to take a shower today, maybe do some walking," Hermione suggested, snuggling further into the pillow.

Remus chuckled. "Are you sure? You seem quite attached to that pillow."

"So soft and comfortable," Hermione repeated.

"Yeah, the pillow has a few cushioning and softening charms on it," Remus told her. "It's the perfect pillow."

She sat up, scratching her neck. "Cleaning charms are never quite right," she muttered. "Is there something on your mind?"

"I was just curious actually," Remus said. "I'm just wondering how you ended up at the lake?"

Hermione was silent for a moment, realising that it wasn't time to tell Remus the truth just yet.

"I was... somewhere and was being hurt- tortured. My friend, my old Professor... well, he found me. He stopped it. He told me he was going to send me somewhere safe, that I'd be found by people who would protect me, who would help me. Just as he was sending me, people burst through the wards he set on the room, and he was... possibly killed. I was hit with a slicing hex of some sort just before I was transported away."

"But the only person who ever goes down to the lake is me?" Remus murmured, mostly to himself. "Was it someone I know, or were the calculations off, sending you to the wrong place?"

Hermione looked down at the bedsheets. "He's not the type to make mistakes," she said. "I don't know why I was sent to the lake - I wasn't expecting this, but he made a good judgement, sending me to you. Because who else would have saved me and protected me like you?"

Remus couldn't help but smile shyly at her.

"As for where I was before... right now, that's between me and the Headmaster," Hermione said. "I can't talk about it... but I promise to tell you one day. Don't be mad at me," she whispered the last bit, worried that Remus would be annoyed that she hadn't told him.

Remus was pensive, his gaze on the bedcovers. "I trust you," he said after a moment, meeting her gaze. "I trust Dumbledore too. I can wait to know."

"I trust you too," Hermione whispered. "More than I can explain."

Remus' smile widened as he heard the truth in her words. "I'm glad that you trust me too," he told her. "Right, let's get you up and to the bathroom."

...oOo...

"Can you manage?" Remus asked. "I mean, undoing your bandages?" He gestured towards where her bandages were.

"Why? Are you offering to undo them?" Hermione looked amused for a moment.

Remus was a bit confused - he couldn't work out why was Hermione so amused at the suggestion.

"Yeah, if you need me too," he said. "Aren't they awkward to undo by yourself?"

She let out a small giggle, confusing Remus even more. "You want to unwrap the bandages covering my chest?"

His gaze moved down to the bandages for a moment before he realised exactly where he was looking, and exactly what Hermione meant. He couldn't help but blush, because the answer was still yes.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking... I mean, I could get my mum..." he quickly backed out of the room.

"Remus, I'll be fine," Hermione said, trying to stop the laughter. "But I may need help re-wrapping them afterwards. Maybe your mum will help me?"

Remus nodded his head and quickly left the room, blushing more when Hermione giggled behind him.

When he returned to Hogwarts, he would need Sirius to teach him just how to be smooth! He was certain that he was coming across as creepy or weird.

At the thought of his friends, Remus realised that he hadn't replied to the last message - it had been five days now, he headed to the bedroom to write a letter.

 _Prongs/Padfoot._

 _Sorry I haven't replied. I've been looking after Hermione. She's actually really nice and sweet._

 _Dumbledore stopped by yesterday and he's accepted her into Hogwarts, so she'll be in our year. I'm thinking she'll end up in Ravenclaw, from our conversations, it's clear just how smart she is._

 _Because of her stay, I won't be coming up for the last week of the holiday, I'll be spending it at home, helping her recover. She was tortured, and I can't abandon her when she needs someone - after what she's been through. She's lost so much!_

 _Maybe we could meet one of the days before heading back?_

 _I'm trying to work out what to do about the full-moon tonight! Maybe she won't notice that I'm not around? Any thoughts?_

 _Moony_

* * *

 **Review Please :)**


	11. His Excuse

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt used: (feeling)_ _suspicious_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **His Excuse**

* * *

Hermione looked at the wound for the first time as she stepped out of the shower. It was much deeper than she had pictured it, though she had known it would be bad due to the fact that it had all but killed her.

She should have realised - Antonin Dolohov was a powerful wizard after all. She let out a small sigh at the sight. It would take a while to heal, even with the daily applications of Essence of Dittany. She suspected that it was a hex that had a counter-hex to go with it. She knew Dolohov hadn't wanted to kill her, just incapacitate her.

She dried herself, winding the old bandages up and putting them into the bin, trying not to look at the word on her arm. She had kept that bandaged, just to keep it out of sight more than anything.

Hermione examined the rest of her body. The curse mark from the Ministry was still on her hip and across part of her stomach. It didn't give her any pain anymore. Her gaze moved to the new cuts from the cursed blade that Bellatrix loved to use so much.

She shuddered at the thought of Bellatrix Lestrange and she wondered what the woman was doing right now in this time-line - was she already a Death-Eater? Was she already out torturing and tormenting?

She tried to get her thoughts away from the witch, turning her attention back to the mirror, her gaze falling on her arm in her reflection. She frowned and tapped her wand on the mirror, making it so she couldn't see her reflection anymore and wrapped the towel around her hair and began to towel-try it.

She pulled on her jeans and held the towel around her chest and opened the door a crack, calling softly for Remus to get his mum.

She closed the door, and only a minute later, Hope came in.

After a look at Hermione's wounds, Hope applied more of the Essence of Dittany, and wrapped the bandages again. "I think this is the last day you should wear these," she said. "Some air to your injuries will do them good."

"Cursed blade," Hermione said, biting her lip. "My arm took a long time to heal, and... well, it was the same person who done the others. Except for this one." She gestured to her chest, "this was done with a slicing or cutting spell of some sort."

"Well, what about keeping the cursed ones bandaged through the day, but maybe for an hour or so in the evenings, you can take the bandages off?" Hope suggested.

Hermione nodded.

Hope and Hermione wrapped the fresh bandages, before Hermione pulled on her t-shirt.

"Dear, did Remus get you clothes?"

Hermione shook her head. "My bag has everything," she said. "It's handy, I have some of my old textbooks, so maybe some of them would come in handy for Hogwarts?"

She didn't miss the flash of relief that crossed the woman's face at the words, before Hope smiled at her. "Your owl arrived whilst you were in the shower, so I was thinking that we could check through what you already have, and then take a trip to Diagon Alley?"

"That sounds like fun," Hermione replied, eager to be out and about. She hated laying around in bed.

"And John and Remus are going to be having a boy's night tonight - John likes to watch the muggle rugby, and there's a game on tonight," she rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh, before grinning at Hermione. "Men... so how about the two of us stay in Diagon Alley?"

Hermione took in Hope's slightly too innocent expression. "That sounds like fun," Hermione replied, trying not to look or sound suspicious, although she knew something was up.

Hermione headed back into the bedroom, to find Remus looking through his books.

"I never had you down as a Rugby fan?"

"Huh?" Remus replied, turning away from the bookcase, a couple of books in his hand.

"Rugby - your mum said you and your dad are having a boy's night, so we're staying in Diagon Alley tonight."

"Oh, that's tonight?" Remus replied smoothly. "I didn't realise." He gave her a concerned glance. "Will you be okay in Diagon Alley? Can you manage?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. "I've been there before, though it's been a while. It'll be nice to go back and see it." She looked at Remus carefully, noticing that he looked a bit more tired than usual. "Are you alright? You look tired?"

Remus quickly shook his head. "Not tired - actually, my mum mentioned Diagon Alley. You don't mind if I tag along?" Remus asked, wanting to go with her to make sure that she was okay. "I won't be out all day though, but maybe till early afternoon?"

"Yeah, I don't mind," Hermione said.

"I'll meet you in the kitchen, I just need to sort my hair out," Remus said.

Hermione hesitated, not wanting to face Hope and John on her own. She felt a bit too shy.

"Or if you can wait a couple of minutes, I'll head in with you?"

Hermione nodded and headed back into the bedroom as Remus walked into the bathroom. He frowned at the blank mirror. He knew it wasn't one of his parents that had done that, so that left Hermione.

He wondered why would Hermione try to hide her reflection? Personally he thought she was beautiful, even if she was still malnourished and thin.

Maybe she didn't realise it? Remus decided that he would think of a way to show her she was.

When they got back to Hogwarts, he would have to call for an emergency Marauder-Meeting!

* * *

 **Review Please :)**

 **Thank you for the reviews - I'm glad you're all enjoying this story! :)**


	12. Her Letter

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt used: Mask_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **Her Letter**

* * *

After breakfast had finished, Hermione found herself fighting with Remus over doing the washing up. She insisted, because they had looked after her, and it was the least she could do. She ordered Remus from the room, trying not to laugh at his sulky expression.

She loved that this Remus was so different than the old Remus. It was like meeting a new person that you felt like you had known forever. Remus from her time seemed to have always kept a slight distance from her.

Which completely threw her considering he kissed her so perfectly, saying he needed to just once.

She pushed the thought of the kiss from her mind. She cared for the other Remus, but she felt closer to this Remus, feeling like he didn't have the walls up as much or wear a mask to protect his emotions.

This Remus didn't avoid her.

Not to mention the bond that they clearly shared. She wasn't sure if the stasis charm left some of his magic lingering in her body, causing it, or if it was because she owed him a life debt. Or maybe it was something else, though she didn't know what!

Once done, Hermione walked into the living room and picked up the Hogwarts letter from the table.

 _Dear Miss Granger,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

Hermione stifled a squeal of excitement and ignored Remus' knowing smirk as she turned to the list of books and equipment.

"I think I may have some of these already," Hermione murmured. She had bought her final year books just in case, though she had never attended the school.

Ron and Harry had teased her, but Hermione worked through all of them, just in case she was still able to sit exams after the war. If the war ever had a hope of ending.

She just needed to check they were acceptable, and not newer publications.

She headed into the bedroom and opened her beaded bag, using summoning spell to pull each book from the bag. She examined the publication dates on each, smiling each time one of the books was found suitable.

Once she had finished with the books, Hermione checked down the item list, realising she had some of the required items, including her cauldron and scales. She used a pencil from Remus' desk to tick off what she had, before heading back into the living room.

"I have about half of the stuff already," she said.

"Where?" Remus asked, frowning.

"Oh, my bag has a featherweight charm and an undetectable extension charm," Hermione explained. "I put everything I may need in there, just in case."

"Everything?" Remus asked.

Hermione nodded.

"So you were starved, you kept all your belongings in a bag. Hermione, where were you living?" he asked, sternly.

Hermione hesitated in her answer, not meeting Remus' eyes. She didn't want to lie to him, but couldn't exactly tell him the truth. The truth had too many questions. She would have to be careful with what she said.

"They killed my parents, so I ran and hid and tried to find a way to... to stop him- them," she muttered. "I travelled a lot, I..." she faltered under Remus' intense stare. "At first, it was the Forest of Dean," she whispered, looking away.

"Where were you sleeping?" Remus asked.

"Well, my bag has a magical tent -"

"And then... you were found and tortured and ended up here?"

"It's a lot more complicated than that," Hermione replied. "But that's the gist of it."

"And the people that hurt you?" Remus asked.

"The one that tortured me?" Hermione replied, fixing him with a level look. "My friend killed her, before he died."

Remus' hands clenched and unclenched, and Hermione didn't understand whether Remus was angry at her or not.

"Good," he whispered, his voice rough. "Otherwise I would have been tempted to do it myself."

Her eyes widened and she looked at him. Maybe the two different Remus' weren't as different as she had thought, after all! She couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"As for the living in a tent... my parents said you can stay here. You can have my room, I'll have -"

"Remus, if you're giving up your room to me, you're mad," Hermione replied. "If your parents are really alright with me staying, I should have the spare room. You have your room back."

"But will you have enough space -"

"Remus, have I mentioned how adorable you are?" Hermione said, leaning in and hugging him. After a second, Remus wrapped his own arms around Hermione, holding her as tightly as he dared, without hurting her.

"We're leaving in-," Hope began, trailing off at the expression on her son's face.

It was the day of the full-moon, usually Remus was moping extra hard. But he was smiling and happy, and snuggling against Hermione.

"Thank you so much," Hermione murmured. "For saving me, for looking after me."

"Anything," Remus replied.

"I hope you're both ready, we're going in a few minutes," Hope said, feeling slightly bad for breaking up the scene. She watched Remus' eyes flash with disappointment as Hermione let go of him.

"I'm just going to get my shoes and a cardigan," Hermione replied, leaving the room.

Hope was going to make sure that John gave Remus another talk about the birds and the bees and about things like boundaries and the such.

And about condoms. She didn't quite trust the contraceptive spells.

* * *

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	13. His Shirts

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt used: Word count - 666_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **His Shirts**

* * *

The two Lupin's stepped out of the floo and into Diagon Alley. Hope was only slightly more graceful than Hermione in the travel. At least Hope didn't stumble out of the fireplace.

At least Remus' arms were there to catch Hermione.

Hermione looked around, her eyes widening. She was in the Leaky Cauldron, though she had never seen it look like it did. The place was sparkling, the materials on the chairs were bright and the tables were shining.

The opposite of her own time.

She quickly masked her surprise, allowing Remus to take her arm, leading her through the slightly busy pub, with Hope following the pair.

"Remus, I've got to get some ingredients. Why don't you take Hermione around to get her supplies and we'll meet back in the Leaky Cauldron for lunch?"

"But you can't get back through without a wand," Remus told her.

Hope smiled between them. "Well, it's best that you meet me at this wall in two hours. Don't be late," she said, pressing a coin purse and a shopping list into Remus' hand. "This should cover it."

Remus nodded, walking over to the wall and tapping the stones with his wand. They quickly slid aside, offering the entrance to Diagon Alley.

The trio stepped through.

"If there's any change left after Hermione's supplies and uniform, you can get -" Hope began.

"My supplies and uniform?" Hermione repeated, cutting Hope off.

"Yes dear. I have shirts at home that are suitable, and you've got a few of your bits. Other than that, you need uniform, robes, quills and quite a bit more."

"Mrs Lupin, I have gold," Hermione said, looking between the pair. "When my friend saved me, he gave me everything he had. I think he expected to never see me again. He gave me gold. In fact, I should be giving you some for food and rent -"

Hope backed away in a panic. "Don't you dare!" She exclaimed. "We didn't take you in so you could pay us."

Hermione gave a shy smile. "But I can't let you pay for my belongings," she said. "I have enough."

Hope stared at her for a moment, debating on whether to argue with Hermione, but could tell by her expression that she wouldn't budge on the matter. Hope understood that proud feeling all too well.

She took the list and the coin purse back from Remus. She opened it, withdrawing about half of the coins and slipping them into her purse. "Make sure you get everything you need for school," she said, giving the coin purse back to Remus.

Remus tapped the purse with his wand, preventing it from being stolen, and slipped it into his pocket.

"Two hours," Hope repeated. She smiled at the pair before heading towards the potions shop.

"You already have shirts for me?" Hermione asked, turning her attention to Remus.

"Well, my mum had a lot of my old school shirts - she never throws anything out as she likes to sew and the material… she thought we could transfigure them to fit you." He bit his lip nervously. "But you probably don't want them," he added.

"No, that's a wonderful idea," Hermione replied. Even though the bed didn't smell like Remus, knowing that it was his, offered her a strange unfamiliar (but not unwelcome) comfort.

There was a chance that his shirts could do the same. Just knowing they were his, would hopefully bring her the calm that she felt at night in his bed, or when she was close to him.

He beamed at her response. "Right, we've got a lot of places to go, but make sure you tell me if you get tired, right?"

"I will," she assured him. "I'm not feeling too bad right now, as long as we don't rush around. I think we have plenty of time. So, should we start with supplies?"

Remus nodded his head. "Sure," he said, offering his arm to Hermione, which she took with a smile.

* * *

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 **Thank you for the reviews**

 **I'm glad you're all enjoying this story!**


	14. Her Shopping Trip

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt used: (dialogue) "Get the hell out of my house!"_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **Her Shopping Trip**

* * *

One of the first shops the pair passed was the pet shop, Hermione pausing in the window, staring at the kittens with an anxious expression. "I wonder what happened to him?" she whispered.

"Who?" Remus asked, looking at the kittens in the window. He frowned, before his gaze moved to the other animals. He wasn't a cat person.

"Crookshanks," Hermione said. "He was my cat. We left him at the… my friends house. I hope they looked after him."

"A cat?" Remus found himself repeating. Hermione was a cat person. "Sorry, we don't allow cat people in the cottage. Get the hell out of my house." He did his best to look stern, though a smile was pulling at his lips.

She giggled, amused at his expression. "You wouldn't really ask me to leave, would you?"

Remus' gaze moved to the window. "Cats… cats aren't very fond of me."

Hermione smiled back. "More of a dog person?"

"Something like that," Remus muttered, frowning slightly to himself. The frown quickly disappeared as Hermione took his arm again.

The pair walked slowly at Remus' insistence, worried that Hermione would overdo it. Despite her insistence that she was fine, he was worried about her. If she overdid it, it would set her back, making her take longer to heal and it would be harder for her to relax and heal at Hogwarts than at the cottage.

"You know, the quicker we get the shopping done, the sooner we could go for ice-cream," Hermione said. "Doesn't Florean Fortescue's have some really nice flavours?"

"It does," Remus replied, smiling down at her.

"Chocolate?" Hermione said slyly.

"You know me so well," Remus chuckled. "But Ice-cream is a nice incentive."

The paused at Madam Malkin's. "Robes first?" he suggested.

...oOo...

The shopping was done as quickly as possible, leaving an hour for Hermione and Remus to browse the book shop. When their time had run down to under half an hour, they headed back to the ice-cream shop that had a clear view of the entrance of Diagon Alley.

Hermione watched the people pass by.

"Remus!" Came an enthusiastic voice and suddenly Remus was being hugged by a petite girl with dark blonde hair. "Where are the rest of you lot?" she looked around, her gaze falling on Hermione. "Oh, you're on a date!" Her eyes widened. "You're breaking my heart you know!"

Remus laughed. "Alice, this is my friend, Hermione. Hermione, this is Alice McLaggen."

"It's nice to meet you," Hermione said, smiling softly, trying to remember if Cormac's mother's name was Alice.

"Is Frank about?" Remus asked.

"You know Frank," she sighed. "Auror training. He's obsessed with it." She smiled between the pair. "I'll leave you to it, I'll see you in school?"

Remus nodded his head, not understanding the sad look in Hermione's eyes as Alice skipped away.

...oOo...

The pair were just finishing their ice-creams when Hope walked past, looking around. She spotted Remus waving, and took a seat at the small table the pair had.

"Chocolate ice-cream before lunch?" she scolded, clearly amused. "As long as it doesn't ruin your appetites. How did it go?"

"It was fine," Hermione said. "We've just got to go back to pick up our purchases from Madam Malkin's. I told Remus that since we're staying, I can head back in later so he doesn't need to worry."

Hope nodded. "You've gotten everything you need though?"

"Yeah," Remus replied.

"Okay, if you've finished here, I'd like to get something to eat. I'm absolutely starving and I love the soup here."

Hermione and Remus got up, grabbing their purchases which had been shrunken down to fit in one bag each and Remus led the way to the entrance of Diagon Alley.

...oOo...

Once they had finished eating, Remus picked up his purchases and gave his mum a kiss on the cheek. "Have a good night," he said. He hesitated, before giving Hermione a shy hug. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Have a good night," Hermione replied. "Enjoy the game."

There was a flash of sadness in Remus' eyes, gone so quickly that Hermione thought she had imagined it. "Thanks," he whispered. He stepped into the fireplace, waving at them before throwing the floo powder down.

Hope stared after him for a minute, before beaming at Hermione. "I would imagine that even with your bag, you'll need necessities like toiletries and underwear. Let's put your stuff in the room and then we can head out into London."

"That sounds like a good idea," Hermione replied, her gaze flicking back to the fireplace for a second. They headed up to a room with two single beds, placing the bags down.

Hope led the way from the building onto the street. "Now… which way was it?" she mumbled to herself.

"This way," Hermione said, taking a few steps down the street. Hope began walking next to her. "Do you come to London a lot?"

Hope shook her head. "I usually stick to our town, but if I need something bigger, I usually visit Cardiff."

...oOo...

Remus dropped the bag in the bedroom before heading into the kitchen for a pain potion. He hadn't started feeling the worst pains until he had come through the floo and wondered if the journey had messed him up somehow.

He took the potion before heading into the living room, where his father was writing on a parchment in the corner. He looked up as Remus walked in.

"Remus, we need to have a little chat," John began.

"What's wrong?" Remus said, seeing the pensive look on his father's face and assuming his father was going to change his mind about Hermione.

"Your mother feels that it's time we discussed the birds and the bees," John began.

"But you've already -"

"She feels like you should have another talk," John insisted. "Remus, take a seat. The quicker we talk, the quicker this is over with."

* * *

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 **Thank you for the reviews and I'm glad that** **you're all enjoying the story! :)**


	15. His Transformation

_Written for Harry Potter Halloween Collection Challenge - October Event._

 _Prompt used: Pumpkin Pie_

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **His Transformation**

* * *

Remus paced around the empty bedroom, unable to sit still much longer. He had just sat through the most awkward conversation with his father that he had ever experienced. He had gotten out of the room as fast as he had been able, too.

Why had his father gotten it into his head that Remus needed a second talk about the bird and the bees - the first was hard enough, but that was back when he was a kid. This time, John's speech was worse, feeling that Remus could understand the language now that he was above age.

He stared at the empty bed more times than he would allow himself to admit, forcing himself not to count the amount of time she had been away from him. He did understand what his father meant about being protective, but no matter what his father hinted at, he wasn't setting out to court Hermione Granger.

Though no-one was good enough for her at Hogwarts, so she needed him to protect her from would-be-suitors.

Remus sighed as he felt a shiver run through his body. He walked into the room he had been sleeping, quickly changing into his pyjamas before heading down.

Wordlessly, he handed his wand over to his father before closing the big door himself. Once locked inside, he stripped down and waited for the pain to start.

He didn't have to wait long. The first pain hit, and Remus began his game of counting to see how long he could bear the pain. He wondered if he would beat the one minute and thirty-two seconds that he had managed to get to on the previous full-moon.

...oOo…

A shiver ran through Hermione's body as she sat with Hope in the bar of the Leaky Cauldron, a bowl of soup in front of her. The pair had come in for something to eat after the exhausting day they had gone through, even though they had eaten several times.

Hermione was enjoying the buttered rolls, and dunked them into the freshly made vegetable soup. But the shiver caused the bread to drop from her hands.

"What is it, dear?" Hope asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Somebody just walked over my grave," she replied, giving the answer her mother would always say when her body shivered in that manner.

Hope watched her for a minute in concern, but Hermione went back to eating and Hope was satisfied that it wasn't to do with her injuries and turned back to her own food.

It wasn't long before another shiver forced itself through Hermione, her body suddenly tired. "I'm really sorry Hope, but I think I'm going to have to go up earlier than expected," she said, standing up. Her legs shook under her as she accepted one of the keys to the room, insisting that Hope finish her own slice of pumpkin pie.

After all, she had made such a fuss over how nice it was - it was clear where Remus got his like for anything sweet from.

Hermione made the slow descent up the stairs, feeling like she could just drop into the bed and sleep. She headed into the room, stripping off her clothes and pulling on the pyjamas that had once been Remus'.

She put her bag down and headed to open the window, freezing at the sight.

A full-moon dominated the sky.

She shook her head. No. At the final battle, it hadn't been long since Remus' transformation. In fact, Remus had at least two weeks. On that thought, Hermione cursed her intellect. Of course the date of the full moon would be different now she was in the past.

It suddenly made sense why Hope brought her away from the house, and the excuses they gave to her.

And Remus hadn't once pushed her to slow down for his own sake, only for hers. She felt guilty, resolving to make it up to him in the morning.

Hermione turned away from the window after fixing the curtains. She headed straight for her bed to sleep. The sooner she woke up, the sooner she could make sure that Remus was okay.

...oOo…

Three minutes and four seconds.

Remus was in shock as he counted past the one minute marker. He had never managed to get so far with so little pain. Even as the pain increased, Remus couldn't help but let a smile flicker over his lips as they tiredly whispered each number.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if Hermione was doing alright without him, but before he could think about her too much, the pain overtook him, halting his counting. His bones broke and shifted, his skin ripped and bled and his nails dug hard into the floor.

He would have tomorrow to think about her. He just needed to get through another night.

* * *

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 **Sorry this is short - I'm really tired, but wanted to get the daily chapter up!**

 **Thank you for the reviews and I'm glad that** **you're all enjoying the story! :)**


	16. Her Gift

**I won't be writing this for the challenge anymore, because I don't want to force out very short chapters just to catch up... or make the chapters shorter just to spread them.**

 **I'm still going to work on this, and will have a chapter up every day/couple of days.**

* * *

 **Sorry about the lack of updates, I was on holiday.**

* * *

 **His Past is Her Future**

 **Her Gift**

* * *

Hermione had showered and dressed quickly, before heading back into the room, only to find Hope just waking up.

She quickly told Hope that there was something in the alley that she had forgotten to get the previous day. She could just tell that Hope was anxious to return home, even though she offered to go with Hermione.

Hermione shook her head, insisting that she wouldn't be long. She wanted to get back to Remus as quickly as possible too.

But she had a stop to make first.

...oOo...

Hermione walked along the alley, finding herself standing in front of Sugarplum's Sweets Store. She pushed the door open and listened to the sound of a bell tinkling before the door shut behind her.

Hermione began walking around, for the most part ignoring the many sweets and chocolates that filled the shelves. It was near the back when something finally caught her eye.

Gift boxes of chocolates.

It was perfect. She studied the sizes of the boxes carefully, some ranging from a variety of six different chocolate bars and a variety of other small chocolates, all the way to the expensive box which contained what seemed like one of everything in the shop.

She glanced at the name: _'The Ultimate Chocolate Lover's Choc-tastic Variety Package'_

She checked in the coin-purse she had taken from the pouch, noticing it seemed just as full as it had the day before. She wondered exactly how much money was in there, and if there was an undetectable extension charm on the money pouch.

It was perfect for Remus. The name said it all. It may as well have been named: 'Remus Lupin's Chocolate' stash.

She smiled as she headed over to the counter. She withdrew the coin purse again, quickly paying for the items before shrinking the box. She left the shop, heading straight back to the Three Broomsticks.

Hope was just pulling on her shoes when Hermione appeared. She looked at the gift-wrapped item in Hermione's hand with curiosity, before smiling. "Are you ready to head back?"

Hermione nodded, eager to get to Remus. After all, they had gone straight back out to shop the moment Remus had disappeared.

...oOo...

The pair arrived back at the cottage, apparating before walking up the path. Hermione tried not to look worried about seeing Remus, but it was difficult, knowing he had gone through the transformation. She couldn't wait until the day that he chose to tell her, unless she found a way to tell him that she knew - so he didn't have to hide his condition.

John was sitting in the living room, drinking tea and reading a paper as the pair walked in. Hermione's gaze flicked towards the sofa where Remus usually sat, but as she expected, Remus wasn't in the room.

After greeting John and talking about the shopping trip, Hermione headed to her room to put her stuff away. She smiled at the note left on the bed.

Hermione, I hope you're not overly attached to that little bag of yours. The top drawer is empty for you, if you want it.

Remus

She couldn't help but smile. Remus was so kind - hours until his transformation and he was thinking about Hermione. Quickly putting her stuff into the empty drawer, she headed out, finding Hope sorting through the fridge.

"Has Remus gone out?" she asked.

Hope froze for a moment.

"No, he wasn't feeling too good this morning, so he went to lay down for a bit," John said. "I'll bring his lunch into him."

Hermione grabbed the bread from the side and began to pulled out a few slices. "I'm happy to make lunch," she insisted, taking the packet of chicken from Hope with a smile. "Why don't you both sit down?"

Hope lightly protested, but Hermione insisted.

It wasn't long before Hermione had the chicken sandwiches prepared, with a light side of salad. She found a chocolate bar in the cupboard and added that to the side of Remus' plate.

She brought the plates for the Lupins through to the living room, before returning to the kitchen and grabbing hers and Remus' plates. She wasn't sure if Remus would even want company, but she wanted to make sure he wasn't alone.

She was concerned over what affect the full-moon had on him, especially after how draining the stasis spell could have been on him.

Hermione planned to ensure that James and Sirius were there every full moon for Remus, and she would be there to help him recover. Remus wouldn't be alone again, like he had been in the future that was paved for him before. That future was gone; she was going to make a difference.

She reached the door and knocked lightly. It was only a moment before she heard Remus' voice. She pushed the door open, smiling widely at him.

He looked surprised to see her.

"I heard that you were feeling a bit unwell, so I've brought you lunch," she said. "I didn't know if you wanted company or not… I won't be offended at all if you want me to leave so you can rest."

"You shouldn't be overdoing yourself, you're still hurt, I should be making you lunch," Remus said, his voice betraying his exhaustion.

"Don't be silly," Hermione scoffed. "I haven't broken an arm or leg. Yes, I have some healing to do still, but I'm over the worst of it and I'm fully capable of making lunch for everyone. Now, do you want me to leave it here and go, or do you want company?"

"I'd like you to stay," he admitted softly.

* * *

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 **Thank you for the reviews and I'm glad that** **you're all enjoying the story! :)**


	17. His Friend

**His Friend**

* * *

His body ached and burned as though someone had set fire to it. The bones snapped as they moved back into place, reshaping themselves.

It was more painful than the last few transformations. His father had healed him about twenty minutes after he had transformed back - having to take time to remove the extensive wards around the room -and gotten him to bed, but Remus was worried that Hermione would somehow make the connection and hate him.

After all, who wouldn't? He may have helped her, but it didn't make him any less of a monster.

But the thought of Hermione hating him - it made him feel ill! He would do anything not to lose her. He hadn't even known her for a week and she meant so much to him. Maybe sharing energy with someone could cause this feeling?

All he knew was that sharing energy that close to the full moon was extremely painful. He could tell now that some still resided in Hermione's body - maybe that was the reason for her quicker than expected recovery?

He closed his eyes, allowing the dreamless sleep potion his father gave him to take over - exhaustion wasn't good when trying to heal, and they had agreed that the best thing to do to regain the lost energy was for Remus to sleep whilst the other potions took effect.

When Remus woke up a few hours later, he found the loathing that he tried to push away, was now taking centre stage. He couldn't stop thinking about the bloodthirsty beast which had taken over his body, forcing him into its form.

His emotions shifted briefly from loathing to pity, settling on anger. Not at his parents - they had done everything they could to keep him safe and protected. They spent everything to try and help him, even though he was convinced that there was nothing that could be done to save him - but at the man... beast that had done this to him.

More than anything, he felt alone. Yes, he had friends - but one day they would realise just what an evil monster truly resided inside his body. Then he would be alone again. As alone as he had been as a child, not allowed to have friends because people just didn't understand.

When the knock came on his door, he had expected it to be his mother, coming to check on him. He hadn't expected Hermione to come in, a sandwich and a drink in hand, wanting to keep him company.

He felt like he wasn't taking care of her properly, knowing that she was making him lunch, and no matter how terrible he felt, he couldn't turn her away when she was seeking his company.

He watched her carefully as she placed the tray in his lap, sitting on the end of the bed with her legs crossed and her own sandwich in front of her. She beamed at him.

"I bought you something."

Remus didn't know how to take the statement. "What? Why?" he asked.

"Because we're friends," Hermione said, confidently. She knew Remus struggled to let people close, but they had a bond - a life debt. They lived together. She knew they were friends.

"We... you shouldn't have," Remus said, his uncertain expression softening. She thought they were friends? He liked that. Even with the boys, they had taken time to warm to him... though that could have been his own fault as he had pulled away so much.

Until they had found out his secret, and said the same. They were friends, and didn't care that he was a Werewolf.

He hadn't even known Hermione for a week, and she said it without conviction or a single doubt. He pushed away the thought that she may hate him if she found out the truth.

"We all do a lot of things we shouldn't," Hermione said, grinning. "But this is something I really should have. Are you ready?"

Remus nodded, setting his tray aside, his eyes following Hermione's movement as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small package, cancelling the shrinking charm on it.

"It's good that I bought you it, I've heard that chocolate can make you feel better," Hermione murmured, enjoying the expression on his face at the sight of the large, heavy box that took up the bed. She slid off, wrapping her arms around the box and hoisting it onto the dresser.

"Hermione, you really shouldn't have -" Remus began. He had seen those boxes before, they contained at least one of everything chocolate from the shop... and not just the cheaper things, it had the luxury chocolate that Remus could only treat himself to on occasion.

It wasn't cheap either.

"You saved my life," she replied softly. "You shared your life with me, your energy, your magic. You brought me here, your father healed me and your mother took care of me. I can't even begin to repay you all for everything you've done. I owe you my life, Remus. I owe you more than you know."

"But -" he began, wanting to argue. It didn't feel right taking it from Hermione. He hadn't saved her just to get something in return.

"I didn't buy this because I feel I owe you, I just wanted to give you a small token to show my gratitude. I got the impression you like chocolate? I mean, if you don't... I could exchange it for -"

"No, it's perfect," Remus stated, his smile widening. Exchange it? That was just crazy talk! "Not even a week and you already know me so well."

"I just hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries," Hermione said, getting back onto the end of the bed. "I hope you like it."


	18. Her Stories

**Her Stories**

* * *

Remus looked past Hermione, his gaze falling on his mother who had just appeared in the doorway, looking between them both in concern. Hermione was giggling as Remus told her about a prank that James had tried to cause on the Ravenclaws, though one of the Prewett twins managed to reverse it, making James skin shed pink glitter everywhere for a week.

He loved the sound of her laughter, and it wasn't long before Hope disappeared again, looking relieved that Remus seemed well enough to sit up and chat.

It was strange - though the transformation had been more painful, his recovery had been easier since his nap. The lunch had seemed to help more than usual with the horrible headaches that usually took him two days to recover from and the nausea.

"So, do you have any stories to tell?" Remus asked, once Hermione had managed to contain herself.

"I do..." she said, hesitantly as she attempted to think of something. "There was this one time in our second year, that me and my friends thought a boy was up to no good and that he was getting people hurt. So we did what anyone would do..."

"Tell a Professor or adult?" Remus asked, assuming that's what 'everyone' would do. Well, unless they were Marauders or Gryffindors.

Hermione snorted. "I made polyjuice potion of course," she said as though the answer was obvious.

"Let me guess. It went horribly wrong," Remus grimaced, thinking of his own potion failures - and that was recent ones. A twelve year old couldn't possibly make Polyjuice... though Snape probably could.

"I take it that you're not too good at potions?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows raised. "No - in fact it was perfect and worked perfectly. That's why I insisted on making it alone of course. My friends weren't as good at potions and would have been no help."

"So what happened?" Remus asked, curiously, trying to distract her from the sadness that came into her eyes at the mention of her friends.

"Well, the hair I took from the girl's robes... I didn't realise it wasn't her hair," Hermione said, a hesitant smile on her lips.

Remus began to smile. "Was it a boy's hair?" he asked.

"Worse," she whispered. "It was a hair from her cat. It took ages to reverse!"

Remus snorted before he began to laugh. "A cat?"

"Fur and a tail and ears. My eyes were all cat-like and yellow," Hermione said. "To be honest I have less amusing stories than you. My time in the wizarding world hasn't been so..."

"Well, this year will be better, I'll make sure of that," Remus said, looking at her clasped hands and wanting to take them in his.

He resisted.

"So... what's the cruellest prank you've ever done?" Remus asked. Of course a sweet girl like Hermione wouldn't be able to do anything cruel.

"Well, there was this piece of parchment that I had a group of people sign," Hermione began, grinning wickedly. "We had a secret organisation, you see. One that taught Defence against the Dark Arts. But what the other's didn't know, was that it was charmed. Anyone that revealed the secret, would have large pimples spelling out sneak across their face."

Her grin widened at the look of complete shock on Remus' face. "And one of the girls, decided that she was going to get us all into trouble," she continued.

...oOo...

"Dinner's almost ready!" Hope said, knocking on the open door and drawing both of their attention, and relieved that she wasn't interrupting another moment between the pair. She liked that her son was laughing and joking.

Usually the day of the full-moon, he barely spoke, wallowing in misery, no matter what Hope and John did - unless his friends were over. But even with them, Remus was never sitting up as though he hadn't gone through one of his transformations.

"Already? We've only just had lunch," Remus replied, smiling at her.

She couldn't help but smile back. "That was hours ago. It's dinner-time now," she replied. "Do you want me to bring it through for you?"

Remus shook his head, surprising Hope. "I think I'm feeling a lot better now. I'm going to come through," he insisted. "I think I'll take a shower now first."

"I'll go and help your mum," Hermione said, slipping off the bed and stretching out. "Now I'm feeling all those hours," she said, as her joints clicked. "But they just seemed to fly by. I'm sorry, I planned on eating and then going out so you could recover from your bug."

...oOo...

 _"Remus. You've had this talk before, but I think with the arrival of Hermione in our home, we need to discuss rules and boundaries and such."_

 _"Boundaries?" Remus repeated, silently sending a prayer to anyone and everyone that his father wasn't going to give him a sex talk._

 _"Just things like knocking before entering a room. Making sure the bathroom door is locked," John said. "Also being respectful and considerate at all times. I know Hermione has been wearing your pyjamas right now, but she'll also have nice clothes, and you might see her differently when -"_

 _"Is this about what I said to her earlier?" Remus blurted out. "Because when I offered to help her with the bandage on her chest, I didn't mean... I thought she knew I wasn't..." he was mortified at the thought of Hermione telling his parents about the offer to help with the bandage._

 _Thankfully the words came out as a quick jumble, confusing John._

 _"Earlier?" John repeated. "Did something happen earlier?"_

 _Remus quickly shook his head. If his father wasn't aware of anything from earlier, that meant Hermione hadn't said anything. There was no way Remus was going to repeat himself._

 _John looked relieved to not push it further. "Your mother felt that it best you have this discussion. She also wants to buy you condoms… just in case."_

 _"Condoms," Remus muttered, his head falling into his hands. ""Can we just end things here. I'm not going to... I mean, I'll be respectful and stuff. I'm going to look after her, not try and peek at her in the shower or… or anything."_

...oOo...

Remus stumbled to the bathroom, Hermione being nowhere in sight, which was handy since he hadn't wanted her to see him in such a feeble state.

He stepped into the shower, unwinding his own bandages and letting the water run over his skin. The harsh water stung him, but the dried blood began to wash down the drain and it wasn't long before the water was running clear again.

He grabbed a towel, carefully drying his skin. The material didn't hurt his skin anymore, he was used to the feel of it running over the open wounds as they were healing. The towel was thrown in the washing basket, and after a moment of thought, he pushed it down, in case Hermione saw the stains of blood on it.

Remus dressed his wounds again, before dressing in a clean pair of pyjamas and some thick socks. He headed towards the dining room, following the enticing smell of caramel.

* * *

Review Please :)


	19. His Spot

**His Spot**

* * *

 _'Remus,_

 _Sorry mate, but we have to cancel coming over. Sirius' parents have turned up and are refusing to leave without him._

 _Mum is seconds away from dragging old Wally out by her hair, but Sirius... well, we both know that he'll not want to do anything once this is all over._

 _I don't know why they can't just leave him alone. They've basically made it impossible for him to stay there, and yet they don't seem to want to allow him to leave either._

 _We'll see you on Tuesday on the train._

 _Really sorry - we wanted to be there after the full-moon to cheer you up (and Sirius wants to know more about the girl you've been sharing the cold nights with - his words). We both hate letting you down like this, but they are all in the living room, and we've been forbidden from leaving right now, even if Sirius wanted to. The floo is in the living room too, and we don't dare to go in there and get even more caught up in this._

 _Signing off here because I can hear Sirius' mum and my mum screaming at each other. I don't want to miss Wally getting hexed in the face._

 _James.'_

...oOo...

Remus sighed slightly to himself. He knew his friends would have come if it were possible, and it was really his own fault that he hadn't seen them. The plan had been to go up there for the last few days of the holiday, including the full-moon as Charlus had kindly adjusted the basement in the same way his parents had done, so he could have the full-moons there as well as at home.

The arrival of Hermione had thrown the plans off track - not that it was her fault in the slightest.

There was a part of him that was relieved that his friends had cancelled. He had half expected his friends to just show up, bursting into the bedroom and waking a sleeping Hermione up. Throwing question after question at her, whilst she needed to recover.

They wouldn't have listened if he told them they couldn't meet her, or to leave her to rest.

So for Hermione's sake, he was relieved. She seemed to be improving, though he could still smell the blood and, from the potions she was taking, he could tell that she was still in a lot of pain.

Even if she did hide it very well.

But Remus couldn't say anything. He knew about pain and he knew about wanting to get up and about as soon as possible. He knew about not wanting to be a burden - not that his parents or friends ever made him feel like one.

Not that he saw Hermione as a burden - but he knew it was easy to worry about that sort of thing.

...oOo...

"Sure."

Remus looked at Hermione, his eyebrows raised. Sure, he had to go to church with his mum, but Hermione didn't have to. When his mum had asked, he had expected Hermione to refuse the offer and stay in bed and get rest.

"You don't have to -"

"It's fine," Hermione replied, a soft smile on her lips as she looked at him. "I used to go with my parents when I was little. Plus the walk there would be nice."

...oOo...

Remus hadn't enjoyed attending church that much in a long time. He listened as Hermione sung quietly along with the hymns, so quietly, that only he could hear her. She wasn't the best singer, but Remus still loved the sound of her voice. She sat and listened to the stories in rapt attention and Remus found himself doing the same, trying to understand which parts fascinated her so.

He was almost disappointed when the service ended and they had to leave. The waited patiently as she headed over to the lit candles for a moment. She fumbled around in her pocket, pulling out some muggle coins and placed one in the box, before lighting her own candle.

She walked back over and tried to smile at Remus. "One for all of them," she whispered.

Remus could only nod - he hadn't lost anyone and couldn't imagine how it felt.

...oOo...

"Dinner will be about an hour and a half," Hope said, as they reached the cottage. "Are you going for your walk?"

Remus looked at Hermione. "How are you feeling? Do you want to go back inside?"

"Do you always take a walk on Sundays?" Hermione asked.

Remus nodded. "Every Sunday I walk down to the river," he said. "That's actually how I found you. I was heading down there."

She nodded, her lip finding its way between her teeth for a moment. "If it's not too far, I can manage," she finally replied.

Hope smiled at them, before letting herself into the house and Remus offered Hermione his arm.

She linked her arm through his, allowing Remus to guide her around the back of the cottage.

"This place is beautiful," she murmured, breaking the short silence.

"You think?"

Hermione nodded. "The cottage inside is lovely, but I didn't expect it to look so... it's like from a story."

Remus silently agreed with her.

"And to live with so much nature around - the beautiful flowers, the... the stillness, the silence. It must be wonderful."

"The complete opposite of school," Remus agreed. They walked slowly through the fields, though he hesitated when his spot finally came into view.

He had no issues about sharing it - which was slightly odd as he hadn't shared with anyone - the problem lay with the fact that it was the very same spot where he found her.

"We should go this way instead," he said, trying to turn around to find somewhere else to sit.

"Is something the matter?" Hermione clearly wasn't fooled by his quick attempt to go elsewhere, and he explained quickly why.

"The spot where I almost died?" Hermione said, looking over. "Don't you mean, the place where you saved my life? Where we first met?"

"Hardly the best place to remember as our first meeting," Remus tried to joke.

"Well, clearly that place is a lucky place to be," Hermione insisted. "Unless you're uncomfortable going there?"

"Oh, I was thinking that you wouldn't want to," Remus replied. He slowly led her over, glad that there had been rain in the week, washing away any blood stains that may have remained when he took her away.

The ground was dry as they lay down, staring up at the sky.

"I've been reading up on life debts -"

"No," Remus interrupted. "You don't owe me anything at all. Just you being alive is enough for me."

There was a long silence as they laid side by side. Remus was aware that it took longer to get to the spot than usual, since Hermione wasn't able to rush, but they still had a little bit of time to relax.

"So.. tell me all about Hogwarts," Hermione requested. It wasn't her asking as a way to pretend that she knew nothing about the school… she was asking because she loved the way Remus' face lit up at the mere mention of the school, and how passionately he spoke about the place and about his friends.

* * *

Review Please :)

I've got most of the next chapter finished, so that'll be up either tomorrow or the day after. One more chapter and then Hermione is heading to Hogwarts. :)

Thanks for all the lovely reviews :D


	20. Her Packing

**Her Packing**

* * *

Hermione bundled up all of her stuff the next day, heading into the room Remus had been sleeping in. She knew when they came back, this small room would be hers - even if Remus tried to insist otherwise. It was best to leave her purchases that she didn't need at Hogwarts, in this room.

She quickly realised that she didn't have much to leave there. Just a few items of clothing that Hope had run through the wash for her, were hung in the wardrobe. After all, the clothes weren't in the right fashion and Hermione had no intentions of being out of style - she would be more noticeable that way.

She carefully removed the breakable potions vials and ingredients, before tipping the rest of the contents onto the bed. She began sorting the clothes, counting them and folding them, before she realised that Hope hadn't given her Remus' old shirts yet.

She decided not to think about how eager she was to have his shirts.

The rest of her uniform and robes packed, apart from what she needed the next day, she began to pack her books and everything else she was taking. She paused at the sight of the pouch that Remus had given her. The small purse inside had lots of coins, and there were also the letters, including the unopened ones. But she hadn't gone deeper than that yet.

She was scared at what she would find.

Taking a deep breath, she closed the trunk over and set the pouch on top. She felt the magic give way as she opened it and she set the letters aside, along with the money purse.

She reached in, her hand closing on a box, which she pulled out. The box was enlarged, and Hermione opened it.

Familiar products filled it, and a letter sat on the top. She reached for the letter with a shaking hand, noticing Sirius' familiar handwriting on top.

She ripped it open.

 _Kitten,_

 _If you're reading this… well, we've lost. People are dead and you're living it large somewhere - probably at the Lupin cottage. It's a beautiful place, even more so back in those days._

 _Yes, I know how far Remus planned to send you back. In fact, it wasn't his idea as he probably tried to claim, it was mine._

 _For once, he needed to be selfish. Why send you back a few years, where you'd have to hide and polyjuice yourself and be in the middle of that war? Why send you back to the year before Harry started Hogwarts, What could you even do to change things at that time?_

 _No - you needed to return to our time. Because I knew something that even Dumbledore himself didn't know… but it's not my place. I'm sure you'll realise - you are the brightest witch I've ever met._

 _All you need to know is that the Marauders (even Peter once-upon-a-time, before we left Hogwarts) are a loyal group. I can tell you without a doubt that we'll protect you, because I have no doubts that you and Remus are as thick as thieves right about now - attached at the hip and finishing each other's sentences._

 _I bet the younger me will be sickened at the very idea!_

 _The rest of us will see him forming a strong bond with you and will act accordingly… though we'll be suspicious - we've always been very protective after all. So where we'll protect you because of Remus, it'll still take a while to earn our trust._

 _And telling us that Peter will become a Death-Eater is the opposite of earning our trust._

 _But remember - this isn't your war, Hermione. There are so many that can help you. The Longbottoms, the Marauders, Dumbledore, Moody, Kingsley, Charlus. The only people not to trust are Lily or Peter._

 _Lily only because she stayed in touch with Snape and trusted him, and he's not to be trusted. He's the one who gave the Prophecy after all._

 _And you can understand why we can't trust Peter. Maybe you could change things there, because there was a time where he was our best friend and we'd do anything for each other. Maybe there's a way to stop him from becoming one of them?_

 _Also - be gentle with our poor Remus. He's not very knowledgeable when it comes to girls. I don't think that ever really changed to be honest. Hopefully you can give him the confidence._

 _I wish you all the best in the past. I hope you change it, I hope you have a wonderful and happy life and I hope to be a part of that, as part of the new family you're no doubt going to put together._

 _A pack, if you will._

 _And if you find a way, I hope you can save my brother too._

 _Attached is a list of death dates/disappearance dates, causes of deaths and locations. Everything you'll need. I've probably missed stuff, but I'll keep adding to the list as I remember._

 _I hope you enjoy everything I've packed. There's also most of the gold from my vault in that bag. You'll need it to start a new life, and also a box of the best of the best from the Weasley twins. I think they knew about this (from those amazing extendible ears). It should take you a long time to run out!_

 _The way to a man's heart is through pranks after all (though Remus' is through chocolate)._

 _Sirius._

Hermione felt tears in her eyes at Sirius' letter. She read it twice more, before returning to the Weasley box. It was crammed with everything that their shop had to offer, and Hermione agreed they knew what was happening too - they knew she was going to travel back.

It was probably the extendible ears that allowed them to overhear.

She couldn't wait to use their products at Hogwarts.

...oOo...

She was packing the stuff away again, when a knock sounded. "Come in," she called.

The door opened and Remus walked in. "My dad is going to transfigure the shirts, he wants you to put one one now, and he'll transfigure it to your shape, and he can just use a charm to make the others the same size."

"Sure," Hermione said, reaching for the shirts.

Remus' fingers reached for her face and Hermione's breath caught. A finger gently brushed her cheek. "You've been crying," he murmured. "I don't know what you've been through, Hermione, but you can talk to me if you ever need someone."

His hand moved away and he stepped back, a shy smile on his lips. "I'll wait outside for you to get changed."

Hermione's hands shook as she changed into the shirt. Her heart was pounding and she was sure that Remus would be able to hear it from the other side of the door.

He had only cupped her chin and brushed her cheek. Hardly heart-racing actions, but it seemed to have affected her heavily!

* * *

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	21. His Goodbye

Here's a longer chapter. Sorry about the delay, I haven't been very well recently. Once I'm better the chapters will be more regular.

* * *

 **His Goodbye**

* * *

Hope Lupin wasn't someone who believed in coincidences. It was rare that they occurred - most could be related if one thought to really look into it.

She was someone who believed that everything happened for a reason.

Hope had spent the morning in church, praying hard. She had long given up praying for her son's healing - she realised that a cure was something they would have to find for themselves, rather than rely on anyone higher to find for them.

Instead, she wished for something else - she wished for Remus' happiness.

Hope could see that Remus' Lycanthropy made him doubt himself - though his friends seemed to help an awful lot with that. But he still feared himself, still looked down on himself. She feared that he even despised himself.

Hope hated that there was little she could do or say to change this. She wanted her son to see what a wonderful boy he was; what an amazing young man he had become.

There was something missing from his life, Hope could just tell, but she wasn't sure what. There wasn't much information on Werewolves, and she had read every book she had been able to get her hands on. She had tried to learn as much as she was about to about his condition, so she could be there for him as much as she possibly could.

She knew about the strong bonds Lycanthropes tended to form - ones she could see when his friends were around. Though two of them were loud and boisterous, they all looked to Remus for some sort of guidance, as though Remus were in charge.

'A pack', John had called them.

Hours after her prayers, her son had come rushing across the field behind their garden, a body clutched to his chest. It was clear by his actions - his desperation to save her, his frantic pacing, his inability to focus on a single thing other than the girl, that the girl was something special.

She hadn't portkeyed, she hadn't apparated - her son was certain of both - it was as though she had appeared out of thin air.

Hope knew that however the girl had happened to arrive there, she had been what Hope had prayed for. Hermione had been sent there for Remus, Hope was certain of it.

In the few days she had been staying with them, Hope could see the changes in her son. There was no hiding under the bedcovers the day following the full moon, no moping in the day before it either.

She had made changes in Remus without even realising it.

Hope had a good feeling about Hermione.

...oOo…

Hermione sighed as she repacked her trunk again. She was certain she was missing something, but her checklist showed that she had everything she needed, including the items from her school letter.

"There's something missing, I just know it," she muttered, reaching to lift the trunk off the bed, only for Remus to grab it first.

"You're still recovering," he replied. "I'll get that."

"Thank you," she said, folding her arms and letting out a tired sigh. "What could I be forgetting?"

Remus placed the trunk onto the floor next to his own and picked up the list once more. "What about pyjamas? Have you got any in there?"

"Pyjamas?" Hermione repeated, looking at him.

"Yeah, they aren't on the list."

She let out a groan. "I don't have any pyjamas," she said. "I have the pair I'm wearing, and the second pair you gave, that are in the washing. I didn't even think to buy any when I went to Muggle-London!"

"I've got you covered with that," he replied, leaving the room for a moment. He returned with a box, placing it down. "I had a growth spurt last year," he said. "These t-shirts don't fit me anymore. I mean, it's only tops…"

"I have leggings that I can wear with them," Hermione said, moving towards the box and pulling out the t-shirt on top. Even if they were too small on Remus, they were still quite baggy on Hermione. She grinned as she looked through. "These are perfect."

Remus grinned in return, sitting back on the bed as Hermione looked through the t-shirts. "Take whichever ones you want, I'm never going to wear them again," he said.

Hermione nodded, pulling out the stack of t-shirts and placing a few onto the bed after glancing at the front of them. "I could wear these in the day," she said, more to herself than to Remus. "Or some of them I could even wear on the weekends!"

Remus' smile widened at the thought - Hermione wearing his clothes during the weekends, and whilst she slept - plus his shirts during the day. He really liked the thought of that.

...oOo...

Hermione stumbled through the floo, finding herself in Remus' arms. She blushed, realising that over the last few days, she had spent a lot of time in Remus' arms - waking from nightmares to find him holding her, when she was upset, when the pain was too much.

Also when she had previously come through the floo.

"Where are your parents?" she asked, straightening up and pretending that she hadn't been thinking about being in his arms.

"There's an anti-muggle charm on this room," Remus explained. "If mum came through, it would be hard for her to get through the door - it's easier for them to apparate outside and for my dad to grab a trolley on the way in."

Hermione looked around the small room for a moment. There were a few signs indicating that they were at King's Cross station, but not much else in the way of decoration. The walls of the room were grey and drab.

Hermione couldn't wait to leave. "Should we wait on the other side of the door?" she suggested. "It's quite depressing in here, considering it's an exciting day."

Remus looked around, as though seeing how gloomy the room was for the first time. "Yeah, lets," he agreed. He grabbed both of the trunks, ignoring Hermione's protests, and headed towards the door. Hermione quickly rushed to open the door for him.

It was only a couple of minutes until John appeared. He grabbed Hermione's trunk with a smile, hoisting it onto the trolley, before lifting Remus' on. "We always go to the coffee-shop and have a warm drink before seeing Remus off," John explained to Hermione.

He led the way to the coffee-shop where Hope was paying for drinks. John and Remus brought the trolley over to one of the tables, and Hermione headed to the counter to help Hope.

The four of them sat down, a hot-chocolate each. Hermione could certainly see where Remus got his love of chocolate from. Remus and his parents started talking about which holidays Remus was planning to return for, and Hermione allowed her thoughts to drift away from the conversation. Her eyes fell on a small family, heading slowly through the busy station. She looked to see if the family had trunks, wondering if the children were off to Hogwarts.

She was nervous about what she had to do once she arrived at Hogwarts. It wasn't going there that scared her, it was the faces she would be seeing.

Remus' had thrown her so much, how would she cope upon seeing the people she had only heard stories about - like Lily, James, Regulus and the Longbottoms? How would she cope with seeing Peter Pettigrew? Or seeing Sirius Black or Severus Snape?

She was scared that she wouldn't be able to do as Sirius asked - that she wouldn't be able to save his brother for him. She was scared that she would fail - that someone would die because she somehow messed up.

"Feeling nervous?"

Hermione turned to Remus, already feeling calmer over the whole situation. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought," she replied. "A bit nervous. It's going to be strange - going to Hogwarts, making new friends, being sorted. I mean, it's the last year, I hope I can catch up on everything, I hope I can… can take the the subjects I want."

"And what else?" Remus asked, tilting his head slightly. "There's more, isn't there?"

"There's always more," she replied softly. "I just… I have high expectations of myself, and what I can achieve at Hogwarts. Whether I'll do what I plan to do."

"I have a feeling that whatever goals you've set yourself… that you'll achieve them. You have one friend there already and no matter where you are sorted, you're stuck with me."

Hermione couldn't fight the smile that graced her lips. She had Remus and she counted herself lucky to do so. There were few people in the world as kind-hearted as Remus Lupin.

She had tried not to think about everything during her stay at the Lupins - choosing to get to know the family and recover, rather than thinking about Hogwarts. Time had just gone so fast though. She hadn't expected to already be at the station.

She sipped her drink, lost in her own thoughts whilst John and Hope talked quietly. Remus watched Hermione for a while, as her eyes followed the people coming to and from the station.

...oOo...

"Make sure you both write to me," Hope said. "Hermione, I want to know how your recovery goes and your sorting too. Make sure you write. Remus, keep me updated!"

The pair nodded, Hermione smiling widely at the woman who had been so kind to her. "I will," she promised. She loved that Hope had actually asked her to write. She felt like part of the family.

"Look after yourselves," Hope continued. "Don't get into too much trouble…" her eyes lingered on Remus for a moment. "If you need anything, or if you've forgotten anything, make sure you send me a letter and I'll make sure to send it to you."

"Thanks mum," Remus replied. "We'd better get on the train now."

"Okay, I love you," Hope said. She grabbed her son, hugging him tightly.

"Love you too," Remus said, looking slightly embarrassed, but hugging her back all the same.

Hope threw her arms around Hermione next. "I'll see you soon! You always have a room at ours, Hermione."

"Thank you," she said, hugging Hope tightly. "And for everything you've done for me."

John was surprised when Hermione let go of Hope, hugging him too, whispering her thanks. He gently hugged her back, before patting Remus on the shoulder.

"Have a great time," he insisted.

...oOo...

Remus offered his hand to Hermione and she took it, allowing him to help her onto the train. It was a strange feeling, getting back onto the Hogwarts Express, one she hadn't thought she'd ever experience again.

Remus pulled the first trunk up, but refused to let Hermione take it from him. Instead he quickly placed a featherweight charm on the both of them.

He nodded at his father, who had taken the empty trolley away, before stepping onto the train, insisting on carrying both of the trunks, much to Hermione's displeasure. After all, the trunks weighed next-to-nothing - even with her injuries, she could carry hers.

But Remus still insisted on taking the both of them.

 **...oOo...**

They headed through the empty train, until Remus stopped. "The is where we always sit," he said, gesturing to the empty compartment.

"Okay," Hermione replied. "Do you want me to sit with you until they arrive, or would you rather sit alone?"

"What?" Remus exclaimed. "Do you think I'd really abandon you to sit on the train by yourself? We're friends and I'm going to look out for you. Of course you're sitting with me."

"But your friends…" Hermione began.

"They'll understand," Remus firmly insisted.

Hermione nodded, before pushing the door open.

* * *

 **Review Please :)**

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	22. Her First Impression

**Her First Impression**

* * *

Hermione had abandoned her own book. She found herself sharing the book that Remus was reading instead, when the door banged open in a dramatic fashion, revealing two dark-haired wizards. Hermione's eyes widened slightly as she realised who they were, just as the boys tumbled to the floor.

One of the pair jumped up in a smooth and elegant motion, leaning against the door-frame. His eyes trailed over her in a slightly leering manner.

Hermione straightened at the sight. She had lost herself in the book, and in Remus' company, and hadn't wholly prepared herself for this moment - for seeing Sirius Black again, or James Potter for the first time, for that matter.

Her eyes took Sirius Black in and she understood the stories she had heard before about the girls who would throw themselves at him. Yes, he had been extremely handsome in her time, but it was clear now just how much Azkaban had taken away from him.

It was the same feeling when she looked at Remus and realised the effects the war had on him. All the pain and suffering, all the people lost, all the transformations alone, and suffering in a world that didn't accept him. It pained her.

The younger Sirius Black was devilishly handsome with his high aristocratic cheekbones and lips that looked like they were set into a perennial smirk. He had an air of danger about him, and, judging by the way he dressed and the clear indication that he put a lot of care into his hair, he knew exactly how good he looked.

She didn't let her eyes linger for too long - the younger her had a slight crush on Sirius Black, but at that moment, she didn't even feel an attraction. Her gaze moved to the floor, where a boy with equally dark hair was pulling himself up, fixing a distracted Sirius with a glare.

She felt Remus get up from the seat next to her, reaching out a hand to help James Potter from the floor.

"Moony," the boys shouted when Remus was in reaching distance. James pulled him down to the floor, with Sirius all but diving on top of them both, the three of them ending up in some strange sort of group hug. Hermione watched in amusement, at the heap of boys on the floor, before the play fighting began.

She watched the three with a strange sense of longing. James was Harry's father, after all, and Remus and Sirius were both so important to her in her own past, and Remus was the most important person in her life in the current time.

But to the three of them, she was just a stranger. Maybe not as much to Remus, but there was so much she was keeping from him, that she would continue to keep to herself for a long time.

"Are you done?" came a voice, and the group froze, three sets of eyes falling on a smaller boy who was watching them from the other side of the door, his arms folded across his chest.

An arm darted out, grabbing for the newcomer's leg, but he was too quick, moving back and out of the way. He glanced at Hermione and rolled his eyes. "Every time," he said, gesturing to them. "You get used to it. You learn when to dodge."

Hermione smiled uncertainly back. The boy was nothing like she suspected, but judging by the fact that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were currently on the floor with someone who shared a resemblance to Harry, she could only determine that the small boy standing outside the compartment was Peter Pettigrew.

"How long does this last?" Hermione asked.

With a grin, Peter pulled out his wand, making Hermione's fingers itch to reach for her own, though she resisted. It wouldn't look good if she pulled a wand on Peter just yet.

"Aguamenti."

Hermione began to laugh as she heard a high-pitched wail, and watched Sirius jump up, dramatically thrusting a finger in Peter's direction. The two other boys appeared not to be bothered by the stream of water that had hit them.

"How could you?" Sirius demanded. Peter turned and ran, Sirius disappearing behind him, leaving Remus and James on the floor.

Without Sirius, the pair were left to catch their breaths. Remus got up first, offering James a hand for the second time, pulling him up. The pair quickly cast drying spells on themselves. It was only when Remus turned around, he remembered Hermione's presence.

Hermione tried to not laugh at his embarrassment as he tried quickly to compose himself. "James, this is Hermione… she's been staying with us. Hermione, this is James Potter, one of my best friends."

"Oh, so this is the girl you mentioned?" James replied, raising his eyebrows, an amused smile appearing on his lips. "We've been eager to meet you, Hermione." He bowed slightly, taking her hand and placing a kiss on it.

"Are you trying to charm me, James Potter?" she asked, unable to hold back her smile. She had been worried that James would be too much like Harry, but James had a self-assured confidence that Harry had never even come close to possessing.

"It's not working?" James asked, pouting slightly. "And here I thought I was the most charming bloke in all of Hogwarts."

"I think that title goes to Remus," Hermione replied, with a grin in Remus' direction. "Sorry, James. But it is nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you."

Hermione didn't feel the need to mention that it hadn't been this version of Remus that had told her most of it.

"All good things?" James replied hopefully.

Hermione pulled a face and shook her head. "Sorry James."

The door was flung open again and Sirius strutted in, his hair immaculate.

"So… you're Remus' new girl?"

"She's not my girl," Remus muttered.

Sirius nodded, a slow smile appearing on his lips. "Want to be my girl?" he offered in a slightly husky voice.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "Not really," she replied, enjoying the look of shock appearing on his face. Clearly Sirius Black wasn't used to rejection.

"Hermione was just about to tell us how she ended up at the Lupins, weren't you?" James asked, attempting to cut off a dramatic meltdown that he was certain was due to happen at the rejection.

"I… I was…" she began, not sure what to say.

"Hey, back off," Remus interrupted. "All you lot need to know was that she was hurt and she's been staying at my house to recover."

"Is that all you're going to tell them?" Hermione said.

"That's what happened," Remus replied softly.

"I was almost dead and Remus saved my life," Hermione insisted.

"My father -"

"Yes, he did the spells to heal me, but you were the one who performed the stasis charm seconds before I died. I could feel myself slipping away, and then I felt your light -"

"Is that all you felt, love?" Sirius asked, grinning. "Because a pretty girl like you -"

"Shut it, Sirius," Remus growled, before turning soft eyes back to Hermione.

"That sounds all soppy and stuff, doesn't it? But that's how it was. The light was the only thing keeping me alive. I owe you my life, Remus."

"You owe me nothing," he insisted, blushing.

"Remus never mentioned any of that," James said, looking between them.

"I get the feeling that he doesn't brag about his achievements," Hermione replied.

Remus blushed at the words. "Anyone would have -"

"No, not many people would have cast that spell," Hermione interrupted. "I think you have too much faith in people."

"Well, maybe you don't have enough faith in people," Remus replied, with a soft smile. His words were said without any venom.

"I did, once," she replied. Her hand moved to her chest, resting on the bandage. "I have faith that there are good people out there, I just know that more than that, there are cruel and sadistic ones too, and that too many people only look out for themselves."

"So - how did you almost die?" Peter asked.

Hermione glanced at him, having not noticed his return, as her eyes had been on Remus.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she said softly. She didn't trust Peter, knowing his future.

"Is she coming to Hogwarts?" Peter asked, the only Marauder who hadn't heard of Hermione before.

Remus nodded. "Yeah, she's new," he confirmed. "Hermione will be in our year."

Peter dropped down at the other end of the seat, and Remus sat down in between Peter and Hermione. Hermione leaned against him once more, seeking warmth and something she wasn't quite certain about. All she knew was that it just felt right to be so close to him.

She picked up his discarded book and began to read, knowing that Remus would want to catch up with his friends.

Remus smiled at his friends. "So, how were your Summers?"


End file.
